Hi all,
I have recently transferred to a cloud based HR information system, to enable us to do away with the old manual systems of (for example) recording leave on forms and spreadsheets,as well as managing all the other HR information that needs to be stored and yet remain accessible.
All was going really well, with staff being very happy with the new system as it gave clarity of leave, sickness etc and managers are far more comfortable with it than having to wade through forms and transferring leave data onto their own calendars etc. It is also intended to be used by the Duty Officer to have access to staff information during out of hours times, rather than it being held in paper format in a locked cabinet in the office where it is not accessible.
One employee however, has refused to allow 'her data' ( name and address) to be uploaded onto a cloud based system - as she claims it makes her vulnerable to identity theft. I have reassured her that the security of the data is an absolute priority and that the provider is a highly regarded and trusted provider - but she still maintains that if a bank can be hacked, then anyone can.
Has anyone else experienced such reluctance, and if so, how did you address it?
Thanks
Steve
Replies
Hi Steve
That is an interesting one and one which I have not come across before and as Mike says it will become more frequent. Initially I would look to see what the contract states. Interesting argument about a bank being hacked presumably the employee does not object to their information being in the cloud for the purposes of bank records.
Anyway I met a Data Protection expert at a networking event last week I will drop her an email and see what she says.
All the best
Sarah
Good to hear from you Steve
Wow - this is a tough one but I'm afraid on face value the employee in question may have a valid point. I've done some digging and can't find anything specific to an employee refusing for personal details to be uploaded to a SaaS based HR system. I have however in my search found these posts that might be useful (or not)
https://digitalguardian.com/blog/expert-guide-securing-sensitive-da...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36151754
I then came across this which I think gives you more information - Employment Law and the Cloud
Whether the details are in the cloud or in a data centre on a local network both are susceptible to hacks and security such as encryption need to be in place. However with your data in the hands of a third party solutions provider it's important that how the data is stored and secured is communicated and understood.
This is interesting as this is the first time I've heard of this but why wouldn't it have come up more before - think of the massive systems like Workday, Oracle and such like - managing the HR data of 1000's of big organisations - what if their employees turn around and say they can't out their personal details in the cloud?
Sorry I don't have a definitive answer for you - but interesting times!