What is personal data in the workplace?
Personal data is any information which can be used to identify a living individual. Data breaches in the workplace can fall under these categories:
- negligent or inappropriate disclosure of sickness records
- salary information
- terms of employment
- disciplinary records
- employee’s private medical information
- any many more
Why is my employer at fault?
In accordance with GDPR legislation employers must ensure that private information held about their employees does not fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, employers often fail to take adequate measures to ensure this information remains private which can lead to serious breaches of personal data.
Some examples of data breaches in the workplace can include the following scenarios:
- Personal data sent to the incorrect email recipient – internally and externally.
- Failing to correctly dispose of private personal data resulting in it being disclosed inappropriately.
- Documents containing personal data left in communal areas of the office including printers.
- Resulting from an employer’s or employee’s negligence, personal data obtained by criminals in a cyber-attack.
- Employers and employees disclosing private personal data of employees, customers or other individuals inappropriately.
Should I be worried?
Being the victim of a data breach can be a very stressful experience which can adversely affect your mental and physical health. For this reason, you can claim for the distress and inconvenience caused by the data breach.
If your personal data falls into the wrong hands resulting from the breach it can be used by criminals to set up fraudulent bank accounts or to take out loan and credit agreements in your name. Therefore, you can also claim for financial losses directly linked to the breach, and we will always ensure we look to recover the full compensation you deserve.
How much compensation can I claim?
Less serious breaches of personal data involving claims for distress and inconvenience start at approximately £750 but can be worth over £10,000 in some cases depending on how serious the breach is.
How do I make a workplace data breach claim?
If you believe any of your personal data has been breached by your employer or in your workplace generally, please contact us on 0330 057 4917 for a free initial discussion with one of our friendly team members who specialise in these types of claim. After listening to your situation they will advise you whether you have a strong claim in the hope that we can complete the work for you on a no win no fee basis.
Please also be reassured that we do not charge clients for initial discussions, so even if you are unsure whether you have a claim it is best to contact one of our data breach specialists who can provide some initial free advice to assist you in deciding the best way to proceed.
