PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information related to employees and individuals who apply for employment at Steppingstone, Inc. Steppingstone, Inc. is committed to collecting, maintaining, using, and safeguarding personal information in a responsible and lawful manner. This policy ensures that employee and applicant information is handled with confidentiality and only accessed by authorized individuals for legitimate business purposes.

POLICY: Steppingstone, Inc. respects and protects the privacy of employees and job applicants. Personal information will only be collected, used, stored, and disclosed when necessary for legitimate organizational purposes, employment administration, legal compliance, or operational needs.

Information collected during the recruitment process, including resumes, applications, references, and interview materials, will be used solely for evaluating candidates for employment and related hiring decisions.

Employee personnel records, including employment history, payroll information, performance evaluations, and benefits information, will be maintained securely and accessed only by individuals with a legitimate business need. Sensitive information, including medical information, Social Security numbers, background check information, and benefit records, will be afforded additional protections and maintained in accordance with applicable laws and privacy requirements.

Steppingstone, Inc.’s Director of Human Resources and Executive Director is responsible for addressing compliance with the Workplace Privacy Policy. Non-compliance will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

PROCEDURE:

I. Collection of Information:

· Personal information will be collected only when necessary for employment-related purposes such as recruitment, hiring, payroll administration, benefits administration, performance management, and legal compliance.

· Candidate information may include resumes, applications, interview notes, and reference information.

II. Access to Information: 

· Access to employee and applicant information will be limited to authorized personnel such as Human Resources and Directors and/or Supervisors. 

III. Storage and Security:

· Physical personnel records will be stored in locked or restricted-access areas.

· Electronic records will be maintained in secure systems with appropriate access controls.

· Highly sensitive information will be stored separately when required by law.

IV. Use and Disclosure:

· Personal information will be used only for legitimate employment-related purposes.

· Information will only be disclosed to third parties when required for payroll, benefits administration, legal compliance, background checks, or other authorized business purposes.

V. Retention and Disposal:

· Applicant and employee records will be retained according to applicable legal requirements and organizational record retention schedules; as detailed in EP 07 Retention Storage and Destruction of Records.

· When records are no longer required, they will be securely destroyed to protect personal information.