Recording, Analysing and using HR information Essay Example for Free

Recording, Analysing and using HR information EssayIt is extremely important for all organisations to disc and store information for a number of reasons, one signifi assholet reason existence to satisfy sub judice requirements. Government agencies such as HMRC, Department of Work Pensions and the Health Safety Executive to name just now a few, displace demand information from organisations at any time. Pay, tax and employee data needs to be accurately recorded and monitored by HR, in order to ensure employees are being treated sensibly and organisations are compliant. Relevant legislation would include the National Minimum Wage work on 1998 with regard to pay, works hours are restricted at a lower place the Working Time regulations and safe working practices and conditions are out filiationd under the Health Safety at work Act 1974. Failure to comply with this legislation can bleed to errors, accidents, increased absence, breakdown of the psychological contract, poor employee engagement, poor retention rates, a bad corporate write up and can result in serious financial consequences such as fines, legal action or closure of subscriber line in extreme cases.Another reason that organisations collect HR data is for supervise levels of employee distemper and absence. According to the CIPDs 2013 Annual Survey Report on Absence Management, organisations reported employees absent between 6 and 8. 7 days each per annum at an average annual cost to the business of ? 595 per employee due to a lack of resource and productivity.As can be seen, hours lost due to sickness and absence can cost organisations a huge amount of time and money every class and attendance data collected can be utilize for Occupational Health investigations or ability reviews with the employee, especially should multiple instances of absence occur or a pattern emerges. Attendance data can also help to spot patterns and trends which can pinpoint other less(prenominal) obvious c auses for absence.Poor line management, workplace bullying, poor motivation, a training need or a welfare issue can often be the cause of recurrent, short term absence and once highlighted, HR can interfere to offer practical support, advice and guidance to both employees and line managers in order to rectify these issues before they increase further. Organisations store data collected in two ways. Before the technology boom in the upstart nineties, manual files (that are written or printed) were widely used but are now less popular, specially in large organisations that are heavily reliant upon technology.The benefits of manual files are that they are sordid to compile with little or no training required to extract information from them. However the downside being they call in a large amount of space to store, they have little or no guarantor and if they are destroyed or damaged, the information is permanently lost. Electronic storage on computer catchy drives, shared drive s, memory sticks, internet, intranet, dvd and so on is now the preferred method due to the many an(prenominal) benefits.It is easier to input and update information on a computer, the information can be quickly distributed to a vast amount of recipients via email, can be easily manipulated and formatted for reporting purposes in various applications, doesnt take up any physical office space and can be secured and protected via encryption programmes or passwords. Of course, data can be highly sensitive, confidential and valuable and therefore it is crucial organisations are trustworthy and compliant when collecting, storing and using this information.There are many pieces of legislation that relate to this such as confinement Act 1980, The Data Protection Act 1998, Human Rights Act 1998, Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, emancipation of Information Act 2000, Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Part 11, Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004, the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 and the UK Borders Act 2007. Two pieces of legislation in particular which are relevant to the everyday uses of HR data within organisations are the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).The DPA states that the processing of alter and manual data moldiness comply with seven principles the data must be used more or less and lawfully, used for limited, specifically stated purposes, used in a way that is relevant and not excessive, must be accurate and up to date, unplowed no longer than necessary, handled according to data protection rights, kept safe secure and must not be transferred outside the UK without adequate protection.There are guidelines produced by the Information Commissioner detailing the best practice for handling data and maintaining compliance in four areas enlisting Selection, Employment records, Monitoring at work and Information about workers health. Subject to certain excepti ons (as detailed in Schedule 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998) employees have the right to access their records and also employers must seek the permission of he individual concerned before releasing any information to a 3rd party. Under the DPA, employers must keep certain data for specific statutory periods of time and once this has expired destruction of data must take place securely and effectively. The FOIA 2000 relates only to information gathered, stored and used in the Public celestial sphere (NHS, Government departments, Local Authorities, Police forces etc) and information held in the private sector on behalf of normal organisations.It aims to improve accountability and provide transparency within organisations that spend public money. This gives the public the right to access all information including emails, documents, letters and notes, without any relation to themselves and without needing to provide a reason. The necessitate can be denied only if it contravenes th e Data Protection Act, harms national security or is not in the public interest but even then a refusal has to be valid, reasonable, explained and an edited version released.