B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act compels employers to protect the privacy of employees. The hiring process is one period when the employer’s collection, use, and disclosure of employees’ personal information is most prevalent.
Fortunately, B.C.’s Privacy Commissioner has published a series of guidelines for employers to follow during the hiring process. This is a good thing for employers, because B.C.’s Act can be indecipherable.
The guidelines first address the question of what to do with unsolicited resumes. The simplest solution is to dispose of them. The Privacy Commissioner recommends taking reasonable care when disposing of resumes, preferably shredding paper copies and deleting electronic copies.
If employers keep unsolicited resumes on file, the personal protection requirements contained in the Act are triggered. The employer must protect the personal information contained in the resume. It would also have to respond to the individual’s enquiries about how his or her information has been used, stored, and disclosed.
