Identity theft is happening to more and more Americans, so many employers are stepping up security to protect their workers. A recent report from the General Accounting Office says that each year as many as 750,000 Americans have their identities stolen. So, how can you keep your employees safe? Here are a few suggestions.
Files on employees
When dealing with employees, HR (Human Resources) professionals usually follow a set of standard operating procedures.
Identity theft is happening to more and more Americans, so many employers are stepping up security to protect their workers. A recent report from the General Accounting Office says that each year as many as 750,000 Americans have their identities stolen. So, how can you keep your employees safe? Here are a few suggestions.
Files on employees
When dealing with employee information, HR (Human Resources) professionals usually follow a set of standard operating procedures. Make sure all employee files, both those who are still working and those who have left, are locked up. More importantly, make sure that this key can only be used by the Human Resources office. In most cases, the only department that needs to look at employee files is the Human Resources office.
Put out information
Your company should have a strict rule that, unless a court officer gives you a subpoena, employee information should never be given to anyone other than the employee.
Clean Desk Rule
Does your company require you to keep your desk clean? If there isn't one, you should set one up. This rule makes sure that any employee who handles sensitive employee data clears their desk and files before leaving their workstation and locks up this information. Many banks and real estate companies already follow this rule.
Covering up Social Security
In the past, employees were known by their whole social security numbers. Employers are now using number masks because of the rise in identity theft and the ways that thieves get this information. In other words, John Doe is no longer known as 123-00-4567; instead, he is known as Doe XXX-XX-4567. This is used to send information by mail or email, and it has helped employers cut down on identity theft in a big way.
Use it and then lose it.
When an employee is done with data that contains sensitive information, it should be thrown away if it doesn't need to be used again. You can buy a common paper shredder for about $50 at any office supply store. This is another tool you can use to keep your employees safe. Documents should be shredded right after they are used or at least before the end of the work day on the same day. This keeps you from having to store hundreds of documents that could be used to steal information about your employees.
Identity theft can make you upset for months and cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars to fix. It's up to employers to do what they can to keep them safe at work.
