Recording, analysing and using HR information
Activity 1
Further to your request for the review of the organisation’s approach to collecting, storing and using HR data please see the briefing note below.
There are a variety of reasons why an organisation needs to collect HR data, these could be to satisfy legal requirements, provide relevant information in decision making and for consultation requirement, recording contractual arrangements and agreements, keep contact details of employees, provide documentation in the event of a claim against the organisation.
Government departments’ including HMRC can demand information from the business on how many people are employed, what they are paid, what they have been paid over a
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Below you will see descriptions of two essential items of UK legislation relating to the recording, storage and accessibility of HR data:
The Data Protection Act 1998 defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people. The act contains eight principles, which all organisations processing personal information must conform to, these are:
1. Processed fairly and lawfully 2. Obtained for the specified and lawful purposes 3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive 4. Accurate and up to date 5. Not kept any longer than necessary 6. Processed in accordance with the “data subject’s” (the individual’s) rights 7. Securely kept 8. Not transferred to any other country without adequate protection in situ
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities.
It does this in two ways: * public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and
* members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.
The main principle behind freedom of information legislation is that people have a right to know about the activities of public authorities.
Activity 2
The attached graph has been taken from the Council’s sickness figures for the last financial year (2011-12).
I have looked at the organisations sickness over the last twelve months and taken the figures from the
Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Health and Social Care Act 2008, and Human Rights Act 1998
Data Protection Act 1998 – gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them, and those that processes personal information must comply with eight principles, which makes sure that personal information is fairly and lawfully processed; processed for limited purposes; adequate, relevant and not excessive; accurate and up to date; not kept for longer than is necessary; processed in line with your rights; secure; not transferred to other countries without adequate protection;
The new HR Director has requested a report that shows a review of the organisation’s approach to collecting, storing, and using HR data. The findings will explain reasons why the organisation needs to collect HR data. The types of data that is collected within the organisation and how each supports HR practices. A description of the methods of storing records and the benefits of each. A statement of two essential items of UK legislation relating to the recording, storage, and accessibility of HR data.
Service Delivery and Information - It is important that the information provided by HR is given out to the correct person, accurately, efficiently and timely. If information is passed to the wrong person you could be prosecuted for breaching confidentiality.
Another piece of legislation that can affect the management of confidential information is the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Anyone is allowed to request information that has been recorded by any public-sector organisation, for example:
For the home country England there are many policies and procedures within the legislation that relate to safeguarding human rights, data protection and confidentiality. These have been refined into every school policy and procedures such as the human rights act 1998/2004, children act 1989/2004 and the data protection act 1998.
The Data Protection Act 1998 is a piece of legislation which defines the law on processing data of people living within the United Kingdom.
All operations within an organisation must be viable through legislation. Legislation often constrains just how much information an organisation can have and the manner in which it can be used. Legislation exists to protect both employee and employer from unfair conduct. Legislation is a law which has been produced by the government. Legislation exists to authorise access to particular files, to sanction individuals who do not abide by guidelines set, to restrict how much information can be given, etc. For example, employees must have a formally written contract of employment prior to commencing work with a company. It protects employees against unfair dismissal and states that a redundancy pay must be paid if the
Data protection is a very important piece of legislation that was brought into power in 1998, because it has been designed to prevent confidential and personal information being passed on to other people and any relevant companies without a person’s consent. This also means that any information that is stored of children should be kept in either a password protected or lockable location.
Information Commissioner’s Office (2012) Introduction to The Data Protection Act 1998. [Online] Available from: http://www.ico.org.uk/~/media/documents/library/Corporate/Research_and_reports/ico_presentation_EVOC_20120528.ashx [Accessed: 11th October 2013]
This act applies to all organisations that process data relating to their staff and customers. It is the main legal framework in UK that protects personal data. The act contains 8 data protection principles which are:
The problems for trading standards begin if they find a business that isn’t operation legally and are breaking the rules they are forced to take action.
Below you will find an overview of some of the data that the HR function within British Gas Business collects. Within this report I will identify two reasons why British Gas Business needs to collect HR data, and the current methods in which we store the data. I will also briefly touch upon some key legislation which if compliant, will reduce any financial or legal risks to the organisation.