Make a claim for a workplace data breach

As employees, we often have to disclose a substantial amount of personal data to our employers, whether it be for the purposes of payroll records, or for workplace safety. Some of this information can be intensely private, so employees can feel exposed and unsafe when a workplace data breach occurs.

If you have been affected by a data breach in your place of work, you may be able to make a compensation claim on the basis that your employer has broken data protection law. No one should have their privacy breached under any circumstances, but it can be even worse when you have to visit the environment the breach occurred in on a daily basis.

We understand that it may feel difficult to bring a claim against your current or former employer, but we are here to take this stress off your hands. If you are considering making a claim, we can offer free, no-obligation advice on your potential case. We may also be able to represent you for a claim on a No Win, No Fee basis.

The information exposed in a workplace data breach

To get a sense of the impact a workplace data breach can have on those affected, it is important to consider the kind of information employers hold in respect of their employees.

The employee data could include:

• contact details (including emergency contact details of relatives);
• medical information on conditions/disabilities;
• bank account details for paying your wages;
• diversity monitoring information (details of ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability);
• National Insurance Numbers;
• scans of, or details from, identity documents, such as passports or driving licenses;
• records of employment history, including disciplinary matters.

The potential repercussions of a workplace data breach

The extensive personal information listed above can be unlike anything you would give to most other third-party data controllers. There are, therefore, often more risks to a workplace data breach.

If your employee information has been exposed, your contact details could be used to target you with scams. It may even be possible for criminals to commit fraud directly using your bank account details. The exposure of identity document information could also put you at risk of identity theft.

Moreover, the threat to diversity monitoring information is perhaps even more worrying. Employees disclose this information voluntarily with the expectation that access to it will be limited to a select few staff members. If diversity information is breached, it can expose sensitive employee information to others. This can reveal highly sensitive details and potentially put the victims at risk of hostility or discrimination in their own workplace.

Claiming with the Data Breach Lawyers

As demonstrated above, the impact of a workplace data breach can be severe, but we are determined to use our expertise in data breach claims to help victims through this difficult situation. No amount of intimidation or worry should dissuade you from making a data breach compensation claim. You are perfectly entitled to do this when your rights to proper data protection has been breached.

We are currently representing people in data breach group actions against some of the biggest companies, including Virgin Media, British Airways and Equifax. Our experience means that we are well equipped to hold small and large organisations to account for their actions.

Contact us today if you would like to receive free, no-obligation advice from an expert law firm.