other employees looking at my cv

jameorahiely · 02-02-2017 9:51am #1

I walked in to the office this morning and was greeted by a colleague telling me that they were looking at my cv and they made a positive comment about it.

I'm working there a couple of months. This person has just started. They are not my boss/supervisor.

Is this a data protection issue. As far as I'm aware they have no business looking at my cv.

IrishZeus · 02-02-2017 9:52am

How did they get a copy of it?

jameorahiely · 02-02-2017 9:54am

IrishZeus wrote: »

How did they get a copy of it?

There was a copy of it in my employee file, which they had a look at.

D3V!L · 02-02-2017 10:05am

jameorahiely wrote: »

There was a copy of it in my employee file, which they had a look at.

And how did they get a look at that ?

dilallio · 02-02-2017 10:06am

Does your employee file contain anything like a previous p45 from an old job or your salary / bank details? I'd be very concerned over that. The company might try and say that because cv's are frequently available on LinkedIn, it's not a major issue.
What role does this person have in the company? Does it give them access to hr files?

MarkR · 02-02-2017 10:07am

That sounds like a gross breach of protocol. Speak to your immediate supervisor and lodge a complaint. Employees should obviously not have access to records like that. Do they normally have access to records as part of their job, and were being nosy, or have they no business at all looking at records like that?

pilly · 02-02-2017 10:13am

Is this other employee in HR or payroll?

If not then they've no business looking at your file. I'd have a major problem with it. Not so much the CV as it is publically available but your pay rate etc. is probably on your file.

jameorahiely · 02-02-2017 10:18am

She is the person who's role in the office is to schedule meetings with clients. I don't know her exact job title (she's new and this was the first time I met her). I can't see why looking at my cv would be anything to do with this.

Yes, I presume my bank details etc. are in the file.

She's not HR or payroll

pilly · 02-02-2017 10:33am

jameorahiely wrote: »

She is the person who's role in the office is to schedule meetings with clients. I don't know her exact job title (she's new and this was the first time I met her). I can't see why looking at my cv would be anything to do with this.

Yes, I presume my bank details etc. are in the file.

She's not HR or payroll

Definitely should not be looking at your file then. I'd bring it up with your manager.

livedadream · 02-02-2017 11:13am

jameorahiely wrote: »

She is the person who's role in the office is to schedule meetings with clients. I don't know her exact job title (she's new and this was the first time I met her). I can't see why looking at my cv would be anything to do with this.

Yes, I presume my bank details etc. are in the file.

She's not HR or payroll

explain to a manager, hers or yours or HR if they are the approachable kind (int hat it wont become a big massive deal type) and explain for some reason she had your personnel file and commented on your CV, tell them you are not overly concerned about the CV but that your contract of employment salary bank details etc are all in there as well as potentially disciplinary and/or medical details and you would prefer if this was kept private. that as she commented your not sure if shes aware of the privacy employees are entitled to have.

Atlantic Dawn · 02-02-2017 11:13am

Is there a chance she saw it online on LinkedIn or similar if you had it freely available there and she printed it out?

ArthurG · 03-02-2017 9:05am

I'd say this is clearly a breach of your data privacy rights. Depending on the size of the organisation, and how far you want to take it, as well as the extent of information accessed by this individual, you could have a case that must be reported to the office of the DPC (within 48 hours!).

That's the nuclear option however - a more proportional response would be to talk to you manager and understand what your company policy is in this area - its not unusual for people not to realise their obligations wrt data privacy, and inadvertently breach them. Clearly some improvements needed however.

red ears · 03-02-2017 9:08am

pilly wrote: »

Is this other employee in HR or payroll?

If not then they've no business looking at your file. I'd have a major problem with it. Not so much the CV as it is publically available but your pay rate etc. is probably on your file.

Even if they are HR or payroll they need a specific reason to pull your file. They can't just look at your file without reason. I'd be very annoyed about stuff like that.

kravmaga · 05-02-2017 11:42pm

jameorahiely wrote: »

I walked in to the office this morning and was greeted by a colleague telling me that they were looking at my cv and they made a positive comment about it.

I'm working there a couple of months. This person has just started. They are not my boss/supervisor.

Is this a data protection issue. As far as I'm aware they have no business looking at my cv.

That's bang out of order, your file/ CV should be in a HR office under lock and key or if not HR then locked in Managers office in a locked filing cabinet.
Totally unacceptable and inappropriate for a work colleague to be able to access your employee file, does not sound like a very professional place you work in or for? Lack of process and procedures here.

pilly · 06-02-2017 9:53am

red ears wrote: »

Even if they are HR or payroll they need a specific reason to pull your file. They can't just look at your file without reason. I'd be very annoyed about stuff like that.

Yes but come on, HR would of course read a CV and the payroll department would also read it to get your address etc. from it.

We can get over paranoid about these things.

After all a CV is not a very private document.

whiskeyman · 06-02-2017 9:57am

pilly wrote: »

After all a CV is not a very private document.

Based upon what information??
It contains personal data, so it's a very sensitive document.
Linkenin would hide a lot of details a CV would have - address, contact details, and perhaps others the applicant my have added - marital status / DOB etc...

Depending on how the new start accessed this information, it could be a very serious data protection issue.

partyguinness · 06-02-2017 10:00am

Sounds like she should not have been looking and she defo should have had the cop on not to mention it.

Mention it to your boss/supervisor to keep her in check.

She is new and nosey- needs to stop for her own sake at least before she gets herself into real trouble.

pilly · 06-02-2017 10:15am

whiskeyman wrote: »

Based upon what information??
It contains personal data, so it's a very sensitive document.
Linkenin would hide a lot of details a CV would have - address, contact details, and perhaps others the applicant my have added - marital status / DOB etc...

Depending on how the new start accessed this information, it could be a very serious data protection issue.

A CV is sent out to numerous people when seeking employment.

The point I'm making is that HR and payroll would know all of the above information anyway.

Not sure what point you're trying to make.

If you can tell me why HR and payroll wouldn't need or have access to the above I might understand you?

ArthurG · 06-02-2017 10:16am

pilly wrote: »

After all a CV is not a very private document.

As I said above, the concept of what is 'personal data' is very broad. In my experience working in a multinational (let alone a small enterprise), most people don't really understand the implications of not observing existing regulations, not to mention the incredibly broad requirements coming down the tracks with the GDPR. When that becomes law, your IP address for example will be considered personal data, and will fall under the stricter regulations. Non-trivial fines can apply for breaches.

whiskeyman · 06-02-2017 10:24am

pilly wrote: »

A CV is sent out to numerous people when seeking employment.

My bank details are sent out to numerous companies when arranging payment details and purchasing goods.
That doesn't mean I want them viewed or stored by those I haven't authorised to.

pilly wrote: »

The point I'm making is that HR and payroll would know all of the above information anyway.

That's fine, but was this new person working in HR?
And even if they were, they have no business to discuss it with you unless it's in a formal setting.
If someone in HR started shouted personal details to you in a pub, would you care?

pilly wrote: »

Not sure what point you're trying to make.

I don't think you grasp the concept of personal data and data protection.

pilly · 06-02-2017 10:27am

whiskeyman wrote: »

My bank details are sent out to numerous companies when arranging payment details and purchasing goods.
That doesn't mean I want them viewed or stored by those I haven't authorised to.

That's fine, but was this new person working in HR?
And even if they were, they have no business to discuss it with you unless it's in a formal setting.
If someone in HR started shouted personal details to you in a pub, would you care?

I don't think you grasp the concept of personal data and data protection.

Oh look, argue away with yourself if you want. I've nothing further to add.

All I said was HR and payroll would have access to these details. Full stop.

TimeToShine · 06-02-2017 10:33am

jameorahiely wrote: »

She is the person who's role in the office is to schedule meetings with clients. I don't know her exact job title (she's new and this was the first time I met her). I can't see why looking at my cv would be anything to do with this.

Yes, I presume my bank details etc. are in the file.

She's not HR or payroll

Maybe if her job is scheduling meetings with clients she might need a bit of background information on you? To sell you to the clients you know.

It does look like a breach of your privacy but I'm wondering is there a legitimate reason. Regardless, she is a fool for letting on that she has seen it.

road_high · 07-02-2017 5:56pm

You have to ask yourself is there a good reason why she was looking at it?

BabyWillis · 07-02-2017 7:07pm

Why didn't you just ask her why she had your cv and how she got it?

red ears · 07-02-2017 10:33pm

pilly wrote: »

Yes but come on, HR would of course read a CV and the payroll department would also read it to get your address etc. from it.
.

That's a specific reason. There is no problem if they have a reason.

What they cant do for example is just decide while having a conversation I wonder what peter did before he came here to work and one says oh wait a minute i'll have a look at his file and see.

beauf · 08-02-2017 10:00pm

red ears wrote: »

That's a specific reason. There is no problem if they have a reason.

What they cant do for example is just decide while having a conversation I wonder what peter did before he came here to work and one says oh wait a minute i'll have a look at his file and see.

Or just look at LinkedIn.

beauf · 08-02-2017 10:01pm

jameorahiely wrote: »

I..Is this a data protection issue. As far as I'm aware they have no business looking at my cv.

Find out how they got it, and why.

OldMrBrennan83 · 08-02-2017 10:03pm

This post has been deleted.

beauf · 08-02-2017 10:09pm

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

You'll have to explain...

OldMrBrennan83 · 08-02-2017 10:26pm

This post has been deleted.

beauf · 08-02-2017 10:56pm

"if you have it" was kinda implied....

red ears · 08-02-2017 11:03pm

I think a lot of the posters here don't seem to have a grasp of confidentiality in the workplace. I have worked in HR in the Public Service. There are rules in place that need to be complied with. Taking a gander through someones CV with out good reason is not OK. It doesn't matter if it is already on linkedin. If its already on linkedin then look at it on that on your own phone or computer at home. Going through someones work file is a totally different matter.

beauf · 08-02-2017 11:09pm

Its already been said umpteen times that its serious issue, if they are looking at your HR file with no reason. Not sure whats left to grasp.

The point about linkedin wasn't that it negates the above. Put people forget they have a lot of their CV it and that everyone at work looks it up. Customers look it up, etc. People in meetings etc.

Mrs OBumble · 08-02-2017 11:33pm

red ears wrote: »

I think a lot of the posters here don't seem to have a grasp of confidentiality in the workplace. I have worked in HR in the Public Service. There are rules in place that need to be complied with. Taking a gander through someones CV with out good reason is not OK. It doesn't matter if it is already on linkedin. If its already on linkedin then look at it on that on your own phone or computer at home. Going through someones work file is a totally different matter.

That's very true for pure HR files.

But you're missing the point about what sometimes happens in sales and professional services organisations

In these types of places, it can be necessary to look for links between employees and (potential) customers. It won't be HR doing that matching, it will be often be sales or services-management staff - and CVs may be the raw data for it. Also, if the OP is being proposed as a resource to work on a particular client project, it would be quite normal for a copy of their CV to be sent as part of the proposal. Sometimes this will simply be the CV that they applied for the job with, sometimes it will be the information on it reformatted to a company standard. Either way - their original CV will be the source document.

So it's quite possible that the person who saw the OP's CV had legitimate access to it. We don't know if this is the situation or not - the only way the OP can find out is to quietly as his/her manager about it.

As someone pointed out, they shouldn't have be blabbing about it. But that's a judgement lapse, rather than a privacy breach.

red ears · 09-02-2017 12:11am

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

That's very true for pure HR files.

But you're missing the point about what sometimes happens in sales and professional services organisations

In these types of places, it can be necessary to look for links between employees and (potential) customers. It won't be HR doing that matching, it will be often be sales or services-management staff - and CVs may be the raw data for it. Also, if the OP is being proposed as a resource to work on a particular client project, it would be quite normal for a copy of their CV to be sent as part of the proposal. Sometimes this will simply be the CV that they applied for the job with, sometimes it will be the information on it reformatted to a company standard. Either way - their original CV will be the source document.

So it's quite possible that the person who saw the OP's CV had legitimate access to it. We don't know if this is the situation or not - the only way the OP can find out is to quietly as his/her manager about it.

As someone pointed out, they shouldn't have be blabbing about it. But that's a judgement lapse, rather than a privacy breach.

I understand that well as i pointed out earlier on the thread if there is a legitimate reason its fine. Just casually browsing someones file or CV is not.

other employees looking at my cv

Comments