An Employer's Guide To Privacy In The Workplace

Privacy and data protection concerns are at an all time high. With tech giants under scrutiny for large-scale privacy breaches, much of the recent media attention has focused on companies' handling of client or consumer personal information. However, looming equally large are concerns regarding employers' handling (and mishandling) of employee personal information.

Which Privacy Laws Apply to your Workplace?

In Canada, the privacy law landscape is relatively new, but rapidly evolving. In 2000, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA") was enacted in order to regulate private sector collection, use and disclosure of personal information in the course of commercial activity. However, PIPEDA has limited application in the employment context as it only applies to federally regulated employers.