Complying with the Data Protection Act (“DPA”) is increasingly a concern for employers as failure to do so brings the prospect of negative publicity and ultimately, significant fines.
Personal datais defined as information which relates to a living person where that person can be identified from the data either alone or in conjunction with other data held by the employer. So, in
the context of recruitment, a completed application form is likely to constitute personal data. Some documents used during the recruitment process (e.g. medical questionnaires, interview notes) may also contain “sensitive personal
data.” This is information which relates, for example, to the person’s race, religion, political views, health information etc. Such data, because of its nature, attracts a higher level of protection and must be handled with particular care. The DPA requires all types of personal data to be processed fairly and lawfully in accordance with
the requirements of the legislation.
With this in mind, how should employers process personal data received during the recruitment
process to ensure that they are complying with the DPA? This article, suggest 10 “Top Tips” for dealing with personal data during the recruitment process.
