A person’s address is a sensitive piece of personal information. In the UK, it’s protected under the Data Protection Law 2018, meaning that workplaces can’t just share it with anyone they like. It’s understandable. After all, hardly any of us would like to have someone coming unannounced and lurking around our home.
Unfortunately, some managers think work and schedules trump everything. Like the one in this story. She had the gall to send an employee to their coworker’s house to check on them because they hadn’t been replying to emails. Appalled that employers abuse their power in such ways, the person decided to share their story with others.
Most people probably wouldn’t like someone showing up to their house unannounced
Image credits: Samuel Peter / pexels (not the actual photo)
This person’s manager decided to send another colleague to their house to check up on them, not realizing how inappropriate this might be
Image credits: Taryn Elliott / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image source: unexistinguniverse
If an employer leaks your personal data, you can sue for financial losses or emotional distress
Image credits: Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo)
When we sign an employment contract, we give our new employer some personal information. Name, phone number, banking details, address – these are all included under the definition of ‘personal data.’ An employer cannot share their employees’ personal information without consent or a lawful basis.
The first one is clear – you have to agree to your address being given out to someone else. But what does ‘lawful basis’ actually mean? It may be that the employer needs to follow a legal obligation and needs to give your address to the authorities, for example.
But if there is no lawful basis for an employer to give out an employee’s address, that’s a potential breach of the Data Protection Act. Many commenters already suggested that the author should speak with an attorney. And while that may be the best way to get justice, it might not be easy.
People whose private data was leaked by an employer can claim emotional damage or financial losses. In this author’s case, they probably would be able to file a claim to compensate for emotional distress.
“The wrong people having access to your personal information can cause a lot of emotional distress, which can have very real consequences for your life,” Hayes Connors Solicitors writes. “Common issues people experience following a breach of data in the workplace include difficulty sleeping, feeling ill, being unsettled and experiencing significant stress.”
Employees need to communicate clearly to their managers when they can’t do extra work
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Why did this whole fiasco take place in the first place? Because the manager wanted the author to work on their days off. At the beginning of their post, the author recounts how another colleague missed a deadline, and the manager asked the OP to work extra hours. What’s more, they even expected the author to work when they were actually on vacation!
The problem is that many employers and managers want employees to make their work a top priority. In reality, very few people actually agree with that, as 72% of workers in the U.S. believe a good work-life balance is crucial.
The author noted correctly in a comment that asking them to work extra hours would be a breach of their contract. There can be a clause in a contract that specifies an employee might need to work extra hours from time to time. However, it doesn’t seem that this was the case here.
Experts say that communication is important in these cases. An employee needs to let their manager know they won’t be able to do the extra work. In this case, the author did communicate that. The main problem here seems to be that the manager couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Not very professional, is it?
People gave the author some advice on what to do next, urging them to speak to a lawyer
Some folks even shared similar stories of employers crossing boundaries
