Privacy

We respect the dignity and rights of our employees

Objectives

Company needs to maintain certain information about its employees in order to properly conduct its business. In meeting this need, Company is committed to respecting the dignity and rights of privacy of every employee in complying with the ten privacy principles:

1. Ensuring information is necessary and collected lawfully.
2. Using and disclosing information collected only for the primary purpose intended.
3. Ensuring records are accurate.
4. Ensuring information held is secure.
5. Establishing a privacy policy.
6. Ensuring compliance with access and collection parameters.
7. Making sure you do not use government identifiers, e.g. Medicare numbers and Tax File Numbers, to identify employees
8. Providing individuals the opportunity, where lawful and practical, of not identifying themselves when entering into transactions with the organisation.
9. Making sure people overseas have the same information.
10. Treating sensitive information carefully.

"Employee personal information" is any information that is maintained on the file or record pertaining to a particular individual.

Payroll files and deduction authorities

• Superannuation files including nomination of beneficiaries

    3.  Special Information

• Succession and development information

• Certificates or licenses held

Employee Access

Employees may have access to their own personal information as follows:

1. To inspect and copy their job performance related information (as defined above). If any factual information is incorrect, it may be corrected; or in respect of matters of judgment, employees may add information to the file to present their position on the matter.
2. Upon request and with a valid reason, employee’s may inspect, copy and correct the type of information listed as administrative information.
3. Upon request, special information "held" will be discussed with the employee by a person properly qualified to do so. The reasons for not permitting the employee to fully inspect this information are:

• To avoid misunderstanding or unwarranted expectations from information that is subject to change such as succession/ promotion plans;
• To respect the privacy of others who may be named e.g. succession and development plans.

Holding of Files 

All employee personal information which is job or performance related or which falls into the "special information" category must be held on the employee’s confidential personnel file in the HR Department. Administrative information will, in the main, also be held in the same files although certain administrative information will be held on the confidential payroll records e.g. bank account number for the deposit of salary, records of authorised deductions etc.

The reason for holding all employee personal information in one place are:

1. To ensure confidentiality and security which might otherwise be endangered if there are several copies of documents held in different locations.
2. To enable employees to inspect these personal files with confidence, knowing that all documents are held in one place and can be accessed upon request. If more than one set of personal files is maintained there is a danger that employee may become overly concerned or worried about what has been recorded, by whom and who else has access to it.
3. To ensure continuity of accurate personnel records in the event of a change in management or a transfer of the employee.
4. To ensure that matters, such as counselling, are conducted regularly and have been properly signed off by management and by the employee concerned.

Other Personal Information

A manager may maintain under their control certain employee information such as details relating to day- to-day performance, attendance and the like. These records should be temporary in nature, dealing with immediate situations, and should be retained on file only for as long as they remain relevant. Managers have access to their employee/s personal file being held in the HR Department when it is necessary to view records for legitimate management purposes.

Personal Files Not Accessible By The employee

Certain confidential files which contain personal information on employee will not be accessible to the employee. Information in this category is limited to the following types:

1. Plans for proposed salary increases
2. Promotion plans
3. Investigations of misconduct or alleged illegal acts
4. Information surrounding business restructures that include the individual, & possible calculations attached to redundancies.

Outside Requests For Personal Information

If the HR Department, or any Manager, receives a request from outside Company for personal information relating to a employee, that information will not be made available without the employee’s approval unless it is required under law ie by subpoena. Under no circumstances should employee personal information be given out over the telephone without first checking that the employee approves.