Do employee privacy policies remove employees' ability to
control the collection, use and disclosure of their personal
information? They do not. This must be accomplished by obtaining
employee consent, often through the use of employment agreements.
Employee privacy policies inform employees about their privacy
rights and of the employer's ability to collect, use and
disclose their personal information as they see fit, for
business purposes.
Consent - A Condition of Employment
Employment agreements offer employers an opportunity to
obtain privacy consent whereby employees provide their employers
with authorization to collect, use and disclose their personal
information for business purposes. One could argue that
consent is a condition of employment.
An employment agreement may provide the organization with
consent, but an employee privacy policy is necessary to
address privacy in the workplace.
Customer Privacy Policies Provide Notice and Choice
Federal and provincial privacy Acts require organizations
to create privacy policies to inform customers and potential
customers of their privacy rights. Customer privacy policies
document the organization's policies regarding the collection,
use and disclosure of the individual's personal information.
Individuals are therefore allowed to make an informed choice
about whether to consent to the loan of their personal information
to the organization. The policy includes opt-out provisions
that permit the individual to withdraw consent, thus requiring
the organization to cease the use and disclosure of the
individual's personal information.
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