Protecting my personal info/data at work

[wheretogetit]

HR Experts in the House – Advice Needed

I recently asked HR to ensure that my personal information — name, address, and other sensitive details — is not visible to a new manager. I am a victim of a serious crime and take my privacy very seriously, making every effort to shield my data wherever possible.

Initially, HR said it wasn’t possible. I explained my situation again, emphasizing safety concerns, and they have since relocated us for safety reasons. I haven’t disclosed that the relocation is temporary, but I want to know: is it feasible to fully restrict access to your personal data from certain managers in the workplace?

I’d really appreciate any insights or guidance from HR professionals or anyone who has navigated similar situations.

also, is it possible to use a PO Box address at work? I want to update my address to a PO Box address. Or does it have to be the exact address one actually resides?

It’ll depend on what HR system they use, and how it’s configured.

If the set up they use is one that provides that information to line managers as standard then it’s likely to be correct that there isn’t a straightforward way to restrict access to specific individuals. That said, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be able to find one.

The obvious one being that your address isn’t actually held on the main system, and your workplace is used as your correspondence address and your emergency contact details are selected appropriately. Or, like you say a PO Box.

I’d suggest approaching the conversation with HR as a safeguarding concern. Explain that Youve had police advice to keep your location private. You realise that there's a need for some personal info on the work system, but that they can surely also recognise that the nature of the system in use that gives viewing permissions to all managers and HR staff just isn’t tolerable given this specific personal safety issue.

Some alternatives, PO Box, real address kept in a sealed envelope in your own desk at work with a couple of HR knowing where that is should it be needed, proxy address on the system etc.

@lhavetoask Thanks for your comment. Do you think it’s genuinely impossible for them to restrict this information from my line manager? I can’t help wondering if it is possible and they just don’t want to make the effort. Either way, it’s too late now because she’s already seen everything.

I’m thinking of emailing HR to say that, since they can’t shield my details, I’ll only be providing a PO Box address going forward. I’m not sure if that’s the right step though. What else can I actually do in this situation?

@lhavetoask - every organisation I've worked for (all large, semi-public sector) have restricted that type of personal data to HR staff and not made it available to line managers.

OP, them saying it's technically impossible is nonsense. If you can't see your manager's address, that means that have configured system permissions. So they can change the configuration.

Options are a) they can't input custom permissions, so giving you more privacy would meaning giving others more privacy too or b) they just don't want to. I suspect b), but unfortunately I don't think you'll be able to prove that.

In most HR systems it's connected to the access level that managers have on the system, I dont have or need the access level that gives employees address, if I do need it that's what HR is for. Most systems can be set up differently, find out what the system is then you can research access levels. In terms of HR, yours is a particular situation, so should should be treated in that way, they have a duty of care for you as an employee.

There is no reason why a PO Box wouldn't be accepted providing it's in the UK. Unusual, but not unacceptable. Someone in HR needs to have a word with both your manager and the manager above. In this day and age it's almost incredible they don't understand there could be a completely genuine safety reason not to have your address accessible on the system.

It’s not odd at all. All line managers can access the personal information of their direct reports like home address, phone number, email address and emergency contact. It’s basic information, used if the person is absent from work for example
Not been the case anywhere I have worked. If I have ever needed to send something to someone's home while they are off sick it has been sent only via HR or if the employee has chosen to share their address with me previously.

What can the managers do if I do not update my address? I have not heard anything from HR at all and my line manager said it is the her manager going on and on about it and I have emailed HR several times to have my details shielded and explained why. They have said they can’t shield it so it is now visible to new manager who was my colleague before taking the role of line manger to our previous manager who is now her manger. For context, I can see why her manager might be pressing her for me to update my address because he was the one asking he should update the address on the system when he saw the address on my sick note was different (about a year ago) + he is micro manager and always getting on everyone’s last nerve.

Where I work correspondence is sent via email c/o the office address so no one even accesses the information held on the system. It only appears on payroll documents, which are online and even then, those people processing payroll use your employee number.

@wheretogetit - we can't answer this as it depends what the policy is in your workplace. This may not be an "Address updating policy" as such and may be elsewhere in documentation about updating payroll, etc. The manager and the micro manager need someone more senior to tell them to butt out.

I’m not sure what “semi-public sector” is. I have been a senior manager within government departments & local councils, they both use the same software and line management can access all this information. In fact, this information is centralised in a system that management as opposed to HR have access to. HR staff don’t have direct access to addresses, ie you can only see the data if someone is your direct report.

I work in the civil service and as PP have said if you don't turn up and ring in then a manager goes to your house. They have done it to several employees. Plus managers have had to go people's houses who are ill etc to collect equipment.

At the end of the day, this clearly is not the system at OP’s place of work. Just because it’s different at whatever employer you work for, it doesn’t mean that the council OP works for is doing anything wrong.

If your workplace use the HR systems I have access to then the information can’t be shielded. I don’t really see how it would be possible.

On the HR platform, you click on your direct reports, a list of names is shown. You can then click on that name, and there will be a section for contact details where an address is shown. Nothing is redacted or “shielded”. It displays exactly how the system shows it from the employee side, ie if you go on your HR platform and find where your address is visible to you - that is what it looks like to management (everyone senior to you in organisational chart).

So you would have to take the approach of using a cover address if needed, or maybe you might feel comfortable disclosing your address to trusted management?

To me, I think you probably need to think about asking for a change of line management if you don’t trust that they will be supportive of you being a victim of serious crime.

Use a PO address for the visible field in the HR system, to keep your manager happy. Although that will trigger their curiosity and draw their attention to your situation.

Contact HR to say you might be willing to share your home address if it is kept confidential and stored in a protected manner.

And I would contact someone senior in HR, possibly the Director, to say that it's not acceptable that you are in a position of needing to "out" yourself to managers about your situation of restricting your home address for safety reasons. There should be a way of dealing discreetly with HR about this, in a way that doesn't draw line managers' attention to the anomaly. If such a method doesn't already exist, HR management need to find a solution.

I’m trying to work out the best way forward regarding my address at work. I’m considering either emailing HR to say that I will not be updating my home address on my profile, or that I will update it to my PO Box address instead (which I’ve had since being a victim of crime), since my line manager has already seen my home address previously and my legal name, which I had asked to be shielded but wasn’t. I would also ask HR to inform my line manager and her manager of this.

Alternatively, I could have a meeting with my line manager and bring a trusted colleague as a witness to explain the situation in person.

If your manager has already seen the address and your name then what is the point anyway if he or she already has the information?

If you’re going to bring anyone, bring a union representative instead of a trusted colleague. However I strongly suspect that your union, won’t take an issue with your direct line manager seeing your address. Don’t listen to the people saying this is a GDPR breach - it’s not, companies can process employee data if they reasonably need to as part of their role and saying it is required as part of absence management likely meets that test. It might even be part of your contract that you accepted, to provide contact details to your employer.

It’s probably more a case of seeing if new line management would alleviate your concerns and what else the company can do to help. For example, if someone was a victim of DV and worked in an office, they might need a way to leave in an emergency and a contingency plan should urgent police attendance be required. Perhaps arrangements to work elsewhere. There almost certainly will be a discussion of how both parties can contact each other in an emergency.

Furthermore, ensure some of your conversation is over email as opposed to verbally so there’s clear disclosure of what was discussed and whether you carried out a protected act like raising concerns about how this is being handled or disclosing sensitive circumstances or protected characteristics. This protects you in the future should anything go awry.

I also think you need to give a bit more information to your management if they aren’t aware of anything at all.

For example, you could say you’re a victim of serious crime and the police advised you let work know should anything happen to you at work. You don’t need to say exactly what occurred but your employer might need to know more generally what the risk is to you, who specifically the information needs to be protected from etc. It’s really unlikely your employer having your address would lead to an ex partner finding your address, for example.

You should also let them know whether you are in witness protection for example (as that would be handled differently). They can still offer support if it’s not formal witness protection but it’s unclear from your post what the status of things are.

@Suednymph is my old address and legal name the line manager came see. I haven’t updated my address yet& that is what my line manager’s manager is pressing her for well so she says.

@lhavetoask I have sent several emails and I have I given as much info as possible explaining I was a victim of a serious crime and shielding myself and family etc but that hasn’t helped only a reply to say they can’t hide it from line manager due to the system configuration etc and quoted several things to say manager is only going to check when needed not without reason. But that’s not reassuring is it.

Lie then and tell them you are not moving now after all. It really is not that important surely for them to know your home address? I am trying to think why anyone needs it bar for safety reasons if someone doesnt show up for work but just getting an emergency contact phone number for that would work instead.

HMRC will still send important documents by post even if you go paperless, I just did my tax return and read that bit carefully (for the opposite reason that I was worried I might miss things if I went paperless). If HMRC have the wrong address your very private information will go to whoever is living there when it arrives. Also if you give out an address different from the address attached to your bank account that could cause all sorts of problems with bank transactions, that may be flagged as attempted identity theft (name and address don't match).

If you don't want to be identifiable in the long term it might be easier to change your name, then your current identity can all match but doesn't lead anyone to the old you.

I'd change your address to the office
They cant really say much can they