To protect the privacy of others when handling their personal information at work, keep in mind how you communicate and handle your work space. For a video summary see Privacy Tips for Employees.
A few practical ways to protect privacy when communicating via email include:
- Use UFV email addresses for UFV business
- Triple check email addresses to ensure you send your emails to the appropriate recipient/s
- Avoid recording sensitive or inappropriate comments as it could be released
- Blind copy multiple recipients, so you are not sharing personal information
- Careful of autofill when typing a recipient’s email
Work space
In your work space, you can protect others’ privacy by doing the following:
- Turn over documents and files on your desk
- Lock your computer screen when you leave your desk
- Lock your office door when you step away from your office; or, lock the door to your collective space when you are the last person to leave
- Lock personal information in filing cabinets
- Don’t save class lists, grades, attendance sheets on USBs or portable devices (encrypt)
General guidelines
When handling others’ personal information, always keep in mind the following:
- Treat other’s personal information as if it were your own.
- Always act in good faith and provide due diligence
- Ensure proper departmental procedures are in place to protect personal info
- Educate others in your team
- Permit and remove access
- Ask if you are uncertain or don’t understand