How to Protect Your Privacy When You Start a New Job

The rules that are set in place to protect you from unjust discrimination are not uniform. There’s still a lack of knowledge regarding privacy laws, meaning that many employees are left vulnerable because they simply don’t know their rights. Protecting your privacy is a right, though the extent varies massively depending on where you live and work. Europe might have more regulations to help protect employees in every country, and yet some places still slip through the cracks. The United States may have extensive anti-discriminatory laws, but some situations don’t apply. For example, your employer or life insurance provider might still be able to request and use your genetic information in certain circumstances. below in this article, we will cover the How to Protect Your Privacy When You Start a New Job.

When you start a new job, you need to maintain your privacy, which is why before you start your first day, you will want to: 

Search Your Employer on Review Sites

There are employer and company review sites that are used to give employees a place to safely and anonymously review their employers. This will provide you with a better insight into what you can expect of the working culture. If they insist on drug tests, for example, and you have private health issues that would be flagged in the process, then you will need to prepare in advance to protect your privacy. The Urinator is one such method that can protect you and your health privacy.

Search Your Name on Google 

One of the easiest ways that employers can do a background check on you is by Googling your name. Go through all of the results that apply to you in the first ten or so pages and either privatize them, clean them up so that they are more professional, or delete them. 

If the page is old and you don’t use that site any longer, then it is a good idea to either change the password, so it is unique from all your others, or to delete it. This is for security purposes as old, outdated sites often tend to have hackable security, and your login information may be used elsewhere. 

Customize Your Social Accounts 

It’s natural for you to want to find and follow your co-workers on social media, but as soon as you do, making your accounts private becomes moot. Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to keep your private life private, even on a private account. Facebook allows you to add people to different lists, and to then set the privacy of each post to a certain audience. You can easily put all your co-workers on one list and change the audience of your posts accordingly. Instagram has a similar option and will allow you to hide your story from particular users or create a list of “close friends.” Set the tagged posts to manual as well, so that only approved photos can be seen from your account. Everything you post will still be seen. 

Never underestimate the value of your privacy. Whether it is something that you have said in the past, something a friend is doing, or your own health information – none of this should be used against your career. Protect your privacy in advance and keep that protection throughout your career.