The 5th Wave

PCPD Issues Guidance for Employers on Collection and Use of Personal Data of Employees during the Fifth Wave

Retrieved on: 
Friday, November 11, 2022

From 1 January to 18 March this year, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) received 157 enquiries relating to the collection of employees health data.

Key Points: 
  • From 1 January to 18 March this year, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) received 157 enquiries relating to the collection of employees health data.
  • Against this background, the PCPD today (25 March) issued the Guidance for Employers on Collection and Use of Personal Data of Employees during COVID-19 Pandemic to help employers and employees to understand the employers obligations under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance when it comes to the collection and use of employees health data in the context of the pandemic.
  • In particular, the Guidance provides the following recommendations:
    -
    Necessity: Employers should only collect health data that is necessary for and directly related to the purpose(s) of data collection.
  • -
    Transparency: Employers should clearly convey all the requisite information to employees, such as by presenting a Personal Information Collection Statement.