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

[Elphabababa]

I am on a train in the UK.

Someone on the seat in front of me is writing up meeting notes from work. All clearly visible through the gaps between seats. I am slightly long sighted mind you.

I have seen that:

• She works in HR for company X
• The meeting was for an employee named Y (I can see his name and job title), following him raising a grievance about a GDPR breach of his data within work.
• Subsequent notes of the meeting about this grievance.

She's still typing her notes now.

AIBU for thinking that people should be very mindful of what work they complete in public places? And that this is inappropriate, and if Y found out that these notes were being written in full public view, they would have a further grievance on their hands?

Or am I a nosey parker?

(Or both?)

I would contact the company and complain.

If he was complaining about a GDPR breach, he wasn’t far wrong. I work on trains but am careful who’s behind me, use a privacy screen and avoid confidential/sensitive documents.

She needs a privacy screen for her computer. Maybe just don’t look anymore. Or let her know? She maynot realise.

Call the company and tell them!!

Of course it's hugely inappropriate. Probably a serious disciplinary offence if her employers knew.

But people will do it.
I once overheard on a train a conversation between what I think was a group of solicitors about court proceedings relating to a girl who was in care. They didn't mention names, but if I had known the girl or her family, I'd have known who they were talking about.

Yes I would let them know. Another GDPR breach right there!

Let the company know.

Tell Alanis Morrisette to put that in a song! Isn't it ironic! ( the gdpr breach)

I’d let her know.

i wouldn’t think twice about this. I do think its really odd you’ve been reading it between the chairs- you must really be looking.

what section of GDPR do you think it’s breaching?

I would think very poorly of any of my HR team
members that did this and would want to know.

I didn't say this was breaching GDPR. Just general confidentially and conduct rules.

That's ok, you can think I'm odd for observing this, I think it's odd that she's writing the notes here!

Odd.

We had exactly this thread a few months ago, complete with peeking through the gap between the back of the seat.

She was being unreasonable.

You were also unreasonable for reading the documents to such an extent that you know all of that information about the employee.

Many years ago I was traveling to London for a meeting between 3 or 4 companies and by shear chance ended up sitting next to someone who was writing a PowerPoint presentation for that exact meeting.

Of course I read it whilst they were typing it up. At the meeting there was a vague look of recognition from him of a "haven't I seen you somewhere before ".

That is odd, but I suppose this isn't the first time that someone has been writing work things that they shouldn't have, on the train.
Id be curious to read what the consensus was on the other thread so will see if I can find it.

I think the consensus was 'get your nose out of the gap between the back of the seats'.

But that's relying on memory.

Most employers have a code of practice for confidentiality. If info can be seen by others, they have no doubt breached it. You could report them and it’s normally a disciplinary offence. Might have been kinder to say you could see the notes? There have been lawyers struck off for similar.

Stop being such a nosy Parker!

Probably the bit that states. That the regulation mandates that personal data must be processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security, protecting it from unauthorized access, accidental loss, or unlawful disclosure

That's fine 🤣 I can accept that I'm nosey.

But I'm not the one with an obligation for this man's confidentiality.

YABU. Stop being so nosey.

Yes, you're a nosey parker.

Reading people's screens is as rude as reading their newspapers or books over their shoulders.

Honestly @Elphabababait would be so fitting if you reported this breach of GDPR by HR about writing up a document about an employee complaining of a breach of GDPR. You will have single handed won his complaint for him like a guardian angel!!😀

Pffft, rude it might be but people do it (evidently!) and I definitely would - because I am nosy for sure. So the OP is right, this should not be done on a train. All our firm’s lawyers have privacy screens - it’s not rocket science.