'Infringed data protection' | HR manager at fintech firm allegedly had her sickness details shared among staff

A HR manager at the fintech company WorldFirst is claiming harassment and discrimination in a tribunal after details about her sickness were shared among colleagues and she was contacted repeatedly about work, whilst she was on sick leave.

The HR practitioner, who was suffering from a physical disability, claims the financial firm was negligent with their duty of care for her when details about her sickness leave were shared amongst staff and third parties.

The firm’s legal team admitted to screening the employee’s personal social media pages to track her whereabouts and activity whilst she was away sick, but justified actions saying: “The checking of publicly accessible data, for legitimate reasons during an investigation process, does not amount to harassing and intimidating behaviour.”

As a result, the employee complained to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over the firm’s handing of data, to which the ICO confirmed that World First had “infringed its data protection obligations”.