Guarding employee privacy
For example, HIV help centres. You advocate the use of them, but you may be inadvertently monitoring staff members who call them…
According to Multimatics MD, Steven Brown, installing an intelligent Telephone Management System (TMS) to cut out unnecessary telecoms spend is move that all companies should make.
However, the softer issues, such as protecting the privacy of employees, should be considered. A good TMS ensures that sensitive numbers are not easily accessible or erroneously printed. These numbers need to be removed before the final database is saved.
“If the number is not removed from the call record before it enters the database, it could appear on the monthly call report”, says Brown. In the working climate of SA, where many employees may be calling facilities such as HIV help lines, this is an area which needs attention.
While the aim of installing a TMS is certainly to discourage employees from making extraneous phone calls, the issue of privacy is one that should not be undermined.
Inadvertently exposing something like an employee’s HIV status could land a company – and its HR department – in serious trouble. “It is up to the HR Department to ensure the privacy and anonymity of the person calling any help line. Not even the IT department should have access to this information,” he comments.
In addition, there is a growing trend to offer services to employees such as counselling, on both a professional and a personal level. “These are areas where the company should tread carefully, as they are all very personal in nature,” adds Brown.
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