ARTICLE · 15 OCTOBER 2020

Excessive Processing Of Employee Personal Information: A Warning To South African Employers

ENS

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A recent decision in Germany has resulted in a hefty fine being imposed on an employer for violations of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulations ("GDPR").

GlobalPrivacy

Kerry-Anne Do Couto

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A recent decision in Germany has resulted in a hefty fine being imposed on an employer for violations of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulations ("GDPR"). The decision is a strong warning to South African employers to not overprocess their employees' information.

The employer, H&M Germany had, for a number of years, through one-on-one conversations between the employees and their supervisors, been collecting and digitally storing employees' personal information pertaining to holiday experiences, symptoms of illnesses, diagnoses, family issues and religious beliefs, in addition to meticulous evaluations of individual work performance. This information was partially recorded, digitally stored, detailed, updated over time, and could be accessed by up to 50 executives throughout the company.

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