Advice on requesting access to personnel and personal files held by employer

[mamakoukla]

Help please! I am currently looking to request access to the personnel and personal records held by my previous employer.

During the course of my employment, my supervisor was engaged in some dodgy practices and I would like to know what is documented about me. (since I've left, a number of untruthful rumours have been put out about me and a number of people are absolutely confused as the stories don't make sense).

How is it best to approach this (I am guessing go through HR), and what sort of items should I be specifically requesting so that I can have access to as much as possible please?

I have no previous experience of this sort of request and am grateful for advice, tips and suggestions.

and TIA

Hi

You need to make a subject access request under the Data Protection Act. There's some useful information and template letters here

They are entitled to charge but the maximum fee is £10.

be very specific about what you want e.g.
"Copies of all emails and other correspondence from [date] to [date] which refer to me either directly or indirectly (e.g. where my role is referred to)"

Put in a request under the data protection act (a subject access request) for a copy of all information they have recorded about you. You'll need to send them a cheque for £10 to cover the cost. They have to provide you with the data within 40 days.

They don't have to provide you with any data contianed in the records which constitutes personal data relating to another person, but if you are looking for allegations about you, they should be provided in whatever you receive.

Don't send the cheque until they ask for it! I got Barclays to waive the fee for me when I did a SAR for my mortgage application file.

ta! There are a number of exemptions that a company could invoke to refuse to release parts of the file. But worth a try.

PS LulaPalooza - thanks about the tip not to send money unless requested.

Yes, there are a number of exemptions but they still ahve to release information that they hold about you. They can redact other information.

I have a colleague who used to head up data protection for an international company and when she did a SAR following a fall out with her manager they released an email to her between said manager and HR that said something along the lines of "I don't care what you have to do, just get rid of her". Ha!

Re the payment... just make sure that you ask them in the letter if there will be any fee and to let you know straight away and you trust that this won't delay them providing the information to you blahblah

[hshock] That's dreadful but I guess it is also very revealing about the person. Interesting that HR released it.