Clean it
Implement a clean desk rule at your company. It is an easy way
to protect your employee information from unauthorized eyes.
This requires every person who deals with sensitive information
to clear their desk whenever they leave their office. Sensitive
information should either be filed and locked or placed in
a locked shredding bin.
Lock it
Human resources departments should have security procedures for
storing personnel files. Lock up all employee files, both active
and terminated in a secure area. More importantly, make sure
that only authorized personnel have access to the key.
Secure it
Employee information stored in databases should also be secured.
Sensitive employee data should never be stored on mobile storage
devices, including laptop computers and USB thumb drives. The
human resources department should be the only employees with
access to personnel files, paper or electronic.
Hold it
Usually, the weakest link in the security chain is the person
trying to be helpful to someone on the phone. Unless an officer
of the court provides your company with a subpoena, you should
have a strict policy to never release employee information to
any individual or organization except to the employee him/herself.
This rule should also apply to all consultants.
Hide it
For tax purposes it is impossible to avoid using social security
numbers, but they don’t need to be printed on every document.
Mask the first five digits of the social security number on
pay stubs and other documentation not submitted to the IRS.
This is more important for documents sent through the mail.
Shred it
When through processing paperwork containing sensitive information
that does not need to be stored, it should be shredded. A shredding
service not only makes secure disposal easy but they will provide
free locked containers to store the material in until it is
shredded. This helps employees focus on their core responsibilities,
comply with the clean desk policy and documents the shredding
program for legal compliance
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