Maintaining Legal Privacy During Crisis Situations
Aisha N. Hurston, J.D.
Director of Operations and Programs
Diversity MBA, a P&L Group Brand
aisha@diversitymbamagazine.com
One of the most overlooked components of success in organizations is privacy. Of course, companies evaluate and monitor technological privacy on an ongoing basis. Operating in a tech demanding age requires such. However, during crisis times such as our current environment, what most leaders overlook is legal privacy.
Most often, the first thought that leaders have when they hear the word “legal” is litigation. However, litigation is something that comes after damage has been done. It is more responsive than we think. What is more important is to be offensive by taking proactive measures to avoid litigation. Legal privacy controls are one of those measures.
With so many employees shifted to remote work duties and with that shift happening so rapidly, this is a critical time to ensure that documents and the like are protected from prying eyes and/or labeled adequately enough to ensure protection.
Here are some tips to send to employees as they are shifted to remote work duties:
- Evaluate the communication/document fully and determine if everyone it is sent to actually needs to be privy to the information it contains.
- Add a privacy subject line. “Eyes only” or “Do Not Forward” often helps to manage the masses of in office communications.
- Lock documents that contain sensitive information. Share that password in a separate writing.
- Pick up the phone. Before you exchange sensitive information, try to ensure the recipient is aware that they are receiving it. The recipient can then prepare to file the document properly.
- Do not leave your computer or phone unlocked when away from the screen. This increases the likelihood of stolen documentation by almost 155%.
