James Dyson’s house manager of 20 years was made redundant last year and subsequently launched an unfair dismissal claim against her former employer. Dyson has accused her of stealing secrets in the form of emails, recorded conversations and photographs. Not everyone reading this will be working at businesses with trade secrets as valuable as Dyson’s, but this story could cause HR professionals’ ears to prick up…
With the advent of GDPR all data is precious. And with more and more employees working from home, it does raise the question of how data is being stored at employees’ homes, and if they themselves employ anyone who might have access to this data.
Encouraging your staff to include an NDA when hiring a nanny or cleaner might sound extreme. But this can be extremely valuable and create an extra safety net to ensure data is secure. A well-written contract of employment can address these issues, and it’s a good idea to include a point in the working from home risk assessment and policy to factor this step in.
As technology continues to evolve it is important HR policies keep up. With more employees working from home it’s vital that risk assessments are mindful of all the dangers present, and that protections such as NDAs are considered.
