When it comes to holding data on your staff and your customers it is important that you identify whether you are going to be holding information that links to a protected characteristic. Once you are aware of what data you are holding you will also need to have a process in place for having an paper copies of data destroyed by a Confidential shredding Oxford company like www.printwaste.co.uk/confidential-shredding/confidential-shredding-oxford and having any digital copies removed from your systems.
Protected characteristics are those characteristics that are protected by the Equality Act. These include disability, age, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion, pregnancy or maternity, sex and sexual orientation. It is illegal to treat anyone differently as a result of any of these characteristics. It is therefore important that you store any information that falls into these categories safely and securely.
Some of the information that is disclosed under these categories will be very sensitive in nature and it may be that only certain people within your business need to be aware of them. This will then require you to have a tiered access system to this kind of information. This is particularly true when it comes to gender reassignment and some disabilities and even sexual orientation. No one should feel that they have to declare any of this information if they do not feel comfortable in doing so.
