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Essential points 

  • Data protection is about safeguarding important information and making sure it is used properly and legally.  
  • Employers can only keep a very limited range of personal information about their employees without seeking their permission including their name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number, emergency contact details and any disciplinary action taken against them. 
  • It is important to adhere to the rules on data protection. The following page will support people professionals to know where consent is needed to keep sensitive information on employees, the security requirements for employees’ personal data, the regularity of review of this storage and the legal obligations to notify the ICO of all data breaches without undue delay. 
  • Employees also have rights to access their data (known as a SAR) and HR professionals should be aware of these rights and how they have been tested in case law. Details of this is provided in the following page.

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Disclaimer 

​Please note: While every care has been taken in compiling this content, CIPD cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. These notes are not intended to be a substitute for specific legal advice. 

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