5 Privacy Tips
Staying on Top of Privacy When Staff are Working at Home
1. REMINDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY OBLIGATIONS
You must remind your staff of their obligation to keep confidential information confidential. Just because someone is working from home, doesn’t mean they can talk openly about their work with those around them (like they usually would in the workplace). It is best to put this reminder in your working from home policy, however a simple email will be just as effective.
2. USUAL SYSTEMS
Ensure your staff have access to the systems that they would usually use in the workplace. Your systems will generally be tried and tested and provide you with a level of comfort during these uncertain times. Cloud based software is easily accessible from anywhere, whereas local programs require a secure VPN connection.
Your staff will create their own personal work-around if they cannot access their systems. This poses a huge security risk to your business and the chance of personal information being mishandled increases. You have enough going on without having the Privacy Commissioner breathing down your neck if you have a notifiable data breach on your hands.
3. PRIVATE CALLS
Private calls are that. Private. To maintain confidentiality and privacy, especially in a professional environment, whilst your staff are working from home they should be working from a dedicated workspace.
As more businesses send their workers home, it is likely that your staff members may be working side by side with those they reside with. Whilst this will be fine for the most part, your staff should only take phone calls or online meetings if they are the only person in the room and out of earshot of anyone ese.
4. LOCK UP PAPERWORK
Whilst most of us might be using ‘less paper’ these days, we still have the need for hard copy documents. Whilst in the office, your staff will be familiar with your filing and storage requirements.
When working from home, your staff should find a secure location to place documents. If they do not have a secure location, you should direct your staff to communicate with others they reside with that the information is confidential and they are not to look at it. For those that might be working around the dinner table with others (strange times, right?!), it is essential that paperwork of different businesses does not get mixed up together.
5. TOUCH BASE
It is very important that you touch base with your staff on a regular basis. Not only to ensure they are following your protocols, but from a well being perspective.
These are uncertain and unprecedented times and it would be worthwhile encouraging your staff to use the services of your employee assistance program, if you have one. If your staff feel you genuinely care about their wellbeing, they are more likely to assist you in maintaining privacy and your overall business objectives.
Realgate Legal promises to protect your brand and reputation by providing smart, on demand privacy, legal and comms solutions so your business can stand privacy prepared.
Next Steps
Working from home increases privacy risks around confidentiality, systems access, calls, and documents, so your agency needs the right safeguards in place.
Not sure if your WFH setup is compliant? Book a FREE 10-minute chat to stay Privacy Prepared.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
-
It is important to remind staff about confidentiality obligations when working from home because confidential information can be unintentionally shared with others in a home environment, so staff must be reminded to maintain the same level of discretion as they would in the workplace.
-
Usual systems help protect privacy in a remote work setup by ensuring staff continue using secure, familiar, and tested business platforms such as cloud-based software or secure VPN access, reducing the risk of unsafe workarounds that could expose personal information.
-
Private calls and meetings should be conducted in a dedicated workspace because doing so ensures that sensitive conversations remain confidential and are not overheard by other people in the household.
-
Staff should store physical documents in a secure location when working from home and ensure that they are not accessible to others in the household, as this helps prevent confidential information from being misplaced or viewed by unauthorized individuals.
-
Regular communication with staff is important for privacy compliance because it helps ensure that privacy protocols are being followed, reinforces expectations, and also supports staff wellbeing during remote working arrangements.
Kristen Porter – Partner, Realgate Legal
Kristen Porter is one of the Partners at Realgate Legal. With over 20 years of legal experience and dual degrees in Law and Commerce, Kristen brings a rare blend of legal expertise and commercial insight to every matter. She is a trusted advisor to business owners and agency leaders across Australia, helping them build profitable, legally-sound businesses.
Known for her practical, no-fluff advice, Kristen specialises in real estate agency law, corporate, and privacy law and regularly presents at industry events. At Realgate Legal, Kristen leads a team committed to making the law clear, actionable, and always aligned with your business goals.
Boring legal stuff: This article is general information only and cannot be regarded as legal, financial or accounting advice as it does not take into account your personal circumstances. For tailored advice, please contact us. PS - congratulations if you have read this far, you must love legal disclaimers or are a sucker for punishment.