AIBU to think writing confidential HR notes on a train is inappropriate?

I would 100% email the company or if I had his name let him know and give him some evidence for his grievance!

Exactly.

It also doesn't matter that the data wasn't "earth shattering" or had no impact. It's still a breach.

you should definitely contact the company and possibly cc the person if you can figure out their company email

I can see a screen on my field of vision and have read it without even messaging too and lots of people are like that, it isn't sitting

@GreenWheat surely you have the time if you're on the train, it's forced on you? As for not having the inclination, fair enough, but I don't think that means that someone who does have the inclination is wrong. Many a plot for a film or book has started by eavesdropping on a conversation or peeking between the gap of a carriage seat. Curiosity is generally a good thing.

You never know who people know on a train.

I was on a 4 table with 3 strangers and they spent 90 minutes talking HR about a company I used to collaborate with very closely over a long period of time. I knew about a quarter of the people they were talking about, including one person I had line managed until they moved to this organisation. Very personal stuff. I didn't say anything but I was aghast they were talking so personally. And full names too like Judy Dench (example) rather than just Judy.

So YANBU to think the train passenger shouldn't be doing this.

I cannot imagine ever having the time or inclination to read the laptop and then follow up on the actions of a complete stranger on a train after the event. Sure, she probably shouldn't be doing it, in which case let her know at the time. This just seems like yet another example of a busybody hiding behind "reporting".

Where I used to work we had mandatory training about laptop use and security and gdpr. They specifically mentioned not allowing anyone to see your screen in à public place if what you’re typing is sensitive. She would be in big trouble where I used to work.

Back when I was more het up about life I might have said something but now I swerve stuff where I can for a quiet and drama free life. I would stop reading and put it out of your head. Ironic though.

One of the reason people do it is because increasingly companies are asking too much of employees. People are working more than 8 hours each day, any moment they can grab they try to deal with some work related stuff. Three wrongs dont make a right: Wrong 1: Why is op snooping through seats and reading someone's writing. Inappropriate. Wrong 2: Person on train (least of my worrries in some respect. Wrong 3: Company not employing enough people or supporting them enough to do work in work hours only.

Now I know some here are lucky enough not to be overworked. They close laptop at work at 4 or 5 and never think of work again till next working day at the appropriate time in the office or at home in privacy. Many of us do not have this previlege. And before someone says quit or find a better job, its not always that easy.

I was at a very busy tourist attraction with a big adventure playground a few weeks ago and a woman was sitting on the floor marking school work. I didn't stop long enough to spy on exactly what it was but it looked like exam papers (I assume mock/practice papers).

The issue is not that I nor the OP saw the information but who else could have seen it. I could have been someone's classmate and informed a vulnerable child that they'd made a mess of their essay question. The OP could have been a nasty, bullying co-worker looking to cause trouble.

Yes, OP was nosey (as I probably would have been, in all honesty) but the existence of nosey people is precisely why an HR manager should know better than to be working on confidential matters on a busy train!

It's a complete breach.

How anyone could be happy that someone could be sharing their private information but working in public is beyond me.

It's also probably a breach of company policy.

No, it's her failing to keep to proper standards is what would fuck up her job.

It doesn't matter how overworked she is, this is a huge breach of client confidentiality!

It's completely unacceptable.

@Elphabababa The reasonable thing to do would have been to have given her a heads up. You now come across as a snitch and you know you will get her into trouble. No one is obviously flaunting the notes! You just wanted a good look to see what you could read.

I feel a bit sorry for the woman. Trying to get work done in transit, busy life etc. I mean it’s overall not great, but reporting her could really fuck her job up. I would consider that a totally awful busy body thing to do. I mean the data she working with, whilst confidential, isn’t earth shattering.

Sorry i thought you meant he was raising a grievance about a GDPR breach. Yeah, she shouldn’t be doing that anyway. and if she needs to work on the train because it’s a high pressure job, she can easily buy a privacy screen for a fiver off Amazon.

This. It may not have been a GDPR breach she was generating- could’ve been more sensitive.

Oh the irony…

She is likely breaking company policy here. Why didn’t you just tap her on the shoulder and make her aware that you could see the notes? That would have been a constructive way to handle it.

Don't complain to the company. Perhaps the poor woman is under pressure and has little choice but to work on the train. A friendly 'word to the wise' tupe intervention and suggest a privacy screen. Next time the person behind her might be taking screenshot on their phone.

Well, I mean his name for starters! Even job titles can be personal data under the right circumstances. Data relating to an identified or identifiable individual. So in this case it sounds like a fair bit of what Op could see would count.

Handling of confidential data?? Writing notes on a train in clear view of anyone looking couldn't be more of an obvious breach

Dh is in the biz and would total troll this person and report them too...

A gdpr breech about a gdpr breech...
Lmfao....

I'd have taken a photo and tried to track him down and sent it to him.

I saw a video online of someone from HR talking to what was presumably a manager discussing how to get rid of an employee. This was a zoom type meeting in a coffee shop!!
People should be far more aware of what they do in public.

The woman working on the train should be more careful but, honestly, peeking through the gap between seats to read a screen is really, really going the extra mile with nosiness. I can totally understand the error she made, of feeling she was typing confidentially in that situation.

Don't contact the company. That would make you officious on top of being nosy.