80% of HR professionals admit to questionable data management practices
1 in 10 employees have been affected by an employer’s data breach, leak or hack.
A quarter of employees say they’ve had an experience with an employer that made them worry about the privacy of their personal data, according to a new study conducted by BambooHR. Are employees valid to have these fears?
According to the study – yes. Despite the privacy act, which safeguards employee data, nearly half of HR professionals say they or a colleague have shared personal employee information with a family member or friend in conversation.
The study found that 80% of HR professionals admit to witnessing or participating in questionable data management practices. On average, 46% of HR professionals said that they, or someone they know, accessed or shared personal employee data in a way that put sensitive information at risk.
Even though 65% of workers trust their company’s HR department to manage their personal data, the study found that 1 in 10 employees have been affected by an employer’s data breach, leak or hack.
Businesses are often the primary target for cybercriminals. A Verizon Data Breach report found that “43% of cybercrime targets small and medium-sized businesses.”
How are employers putting their workers at risk?
According to the study, over half of HR professionals have accessed personal employee information from a personal computer. Additionally, 67% of employees have emailed or texted documents containing personal information during the onboarding process.
Many HR professionals agree that their companies lack robust security measures for storing employee data – but what can be done?
Read more: 25 HCA Healthcare data breach class action lawsuits filed (so far)
The study suggests that companies should partner with legal and security teams, invest in more secure technology and offer credit monitoring to employees that have been involved in a security breach.
Building trust between employees and HR is essential and ensuring privacy over personal employee data is just the start. “The care you’d want someone else to use with your personal information is how you should treat others’ data,” said BambooHR.