Internal Communications for Better Privacy Compliance
We frequently hear privacy teams say they need help with internal branding and awareness. It’s not a unique challenge. In many organizations, privacy isn’t visible enough, so the issues don’t get the attention they deserve. Privacy groups are often seen as the risk-averse office of “no,” which means they’re not always alerted when new initiatives with privacy implications arise. This limits their potential to integrate privacy from the start.
We see a strong connection between good communications and good privacy. In this blog post we explore the correlation between privacy principles and communications, the privacy problems we see arising due to lack of communication, and a few tactics and approaches to improve internal privacy communications.
How Can Communications Improve Privacy?
Externally, a few key privacy principles hinge on clear communication:
Identifying purposes: Clearly explain why personal information is collected.
Consent: Obtain meaningful consent from individuals.
Openness: Make policies and practices readily available.
Individual access: Ensure individuals have easy access to their personal information.
Challenging compliance: Have clear and accessible procedures for handling issues.
Internally, we see that even more principles depend on strong communications:
Accountability: Everyone in the organization must know who is responsible for privacy, understand roles, follow established policies and procedures for handling personal information.
Safeguards: Know and apply safeguards to prevent breaches.
Accuracy: Understand how to collect, update, and verify personal info properly.
Identifying purposes: Clearly articulate purposes.
Limiting use and disclosure: Ensure personal info is used only for intended purposes.
Challenging compliance: Understand and apply internal processes for managing problems.
Common Communication Gaps in Privacy Compliance Work
When conducting privacy assessments and audits, we often see gaps that could be bridged with better communications. These include limited employee privacy-focused training, low engagement and communication among employees, outdated and hard-to-understand privacy policies, weak partnerships with departments like communications, marketing and cybersecurity, and privacy materials developed through a legal lens, without a communications lens – yes, you can do both!
Steps to Enhance Internal Privacy Communications
Enhancing internal privacy communications begins with assessing how employees currently receive privacy awareness and education in the organization.
Understanding the internal communications landscape and flow, to identify gaps and opportunities, is crucial.
The next step is to develop an internal communications strategy and undertake various activities, as a privacy group and in partnership with others, to enhance theprivacy team’s visibility, raise awareness of privacy risks and responsibilities, and reduce compliance issues caused by lack of employee knowledge and human error.
Activities and Products
Successful privacy teams use a wide variety of tactics to enhance their internal privacy communications. Some of these include campaigns for Data Privacy Day and Privacy Awareness Week, privacy Slack channels, privacy columns in internal newsletters, an Intranet Privacy Hub, tips and videos sent via email campaigns, webinar series, case studies and success stories, visual aids (posters, pamphlets, privacy “swag”), podcasts, privacy champion networks or working groups, presentations, in-person training and e-learning modules, better integration of privacy into existing training programs, privacy awards and recognition programs, doors open privacy clinics, and so much more.
Best Practices for Effective Privacy Communications
To maximize the impact of internal privacy communications, consider these best practices:
Use clear, plain language that is easily digestible.
Maintain a consistent voice, messaging, and design across all materials.
Implement an integrated, multi-channel approach to reach employees through various platforms.
Use concrete examples and storytelling to make privacy concepts relatable.
Foster engagement and feedback mechanisms to encourage participation and input.
Ensure leadership involvement and support to demonstrate the importance of privacy.
Offer incentives for participation to motivate employees.
Collaborate with other departments to create comprehensive privacy initiatives.
Focus messages on areas of highest risk and impact.
Plan out the activities and then continuously assess impact to improve effectiveness.
If the idea of enhancing your internal privacy communications is something that resonates, consider reaching out to us for help, as we have this unique blend of privacy and communications skills on our team.
Let’s work together to ensure your privacy team is visible, proactive and effective!
