Balancing DEI Data Collection and Employee Privacy Rights

In an article authored for Law360, Annabel Gillham and Olly Spratt discuss the collection of data related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the UK. As this article explains, collecting and monitoring DEI data presents challenges for employers in the UK.

“With an ever-increasing focus on environmental, social and corporate governance, companies’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are under growing scrutiny from regulators, investors, and current and prospective employees. Collecting and monitoring DEI data, however, gives rise to legal and practical challenges. Employers must comply with relevant data protection and discrimination laws when collecting, monitoring and, ultimately, using DEI data.

“U.K. data protection and privacy laws permit employers to collect and process DEI data in appropriate circumstances, but to get the most out of the data employers should think carefully about what data they need and why, provide open communications to employees to explain the rationale for collecting the data and how it will be used, be sensitive to how different individuals might identify and try to engage with employees drafting monitoring questionnaires.”

Read the full article.