In any UK workplace, managing sensitive documents is a delicate balancing act. On one hand, people need access to do their jobs. On the other, you have legal obligations – and moral ones – to protect that information.
So how do you keep things flowing and secure?
Here’s a practical breakdown of how UK offices can strike that balance without falling foul of the UK GDPR or turning work into a locked filing cabinet nightmare.
1. Know What Counts as Sensitive
Let’s start with the basics: what are we even talking about?
Under the UK GDPR, “special category data” includes things like:
- Race or ethnicity
- Political or religious beliefs
- Health information
- Sexual orientation
- Biometric or genetic data
Criminal offence data is handled separately under the Data Protection Act 2018, but it’s just as tightly controlled.
If you’re storing or processing this kind of info, you need a solid legal reason and extra safeguards in place.
2. Only Give Access to People Who Need It
This one’s simple but often overlooked: if someone doesn’t need access to a sensitive document to do their job, they shouldn’t have it.
Use role-based access controls – so permissions are based on job function, not just job title. And review those permissions regularly, especially when someone changes roles or leaves the business.
Think of it like giving someone a house key: if they don’t live there anymore, take it back.
3. Set Clear Policies and Stick to Them
Every office should have a plain-English data handling policy. It should explain:
- What’s considered sensitive
- Who’s allowed to see it (and why)
- How to store and share it securely
- How long to keep it
- What to do if something goes wrong (i.e., a data breach)
Add a “clear desk” policy to the mix – no sensitive papers left lying around – and a secure disposal process (yep, shredders are still very much a thing).
4. Use Tech to Keep Things Tight
When it comes to digital documents, here’s your checklist:
- Encrypt everything – both when it’s stored and when it’s being sent
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) – make it harder for the wrong people to get in
- Secure sharing tools – ditch email attachments for proper platforms like SharePoint, OneDrive (with permissions!), or encrypted file sharing tools
- Audit logs – track who accessed what and when
- Data loss prevention (DLP) – stop info being accidentally emailed to the wrong person or saved to a USB stick
Don’t forget regular, secure backups – and make sure you know how to restore them if needed.
5. Don’t Forget Physical Documents
Yes, we still use paper – and it still needs protecting.
- Lock it up – filing cabinets, drawers, or access-controlled rooms
- Control the space – limit who can enter areas with sensitive files
- Shred, don’t bin – always use secure shredding for disposal
- No wandering documents – never leave papers unattended in meeting rooms or communal printers
6. Train Everyone – Not Just IT
You could have the best systems in the world, but if someone prints a sensitive doc and leaves it in the kitchen, you’re in trouble.
Mandatory training should cover:
- What counts as sensitive data
- How to handle and store it
- Spotting phishing attempts
- What to do if there’s a breach
Make privacy part of your culture – not just a policy buried in an HR folder.
7. Review, Refresh, Repeat
- Audit who has access – regularly
- Review your policies – at least annually
- Test your tech – through security audits or penetration testing
- Monitor for dodgy activity – keep an eye on access logs
Data protection isn’t a “set and forget” job – it’s ongoing.
Final Thought
Balancing access with privacy isn’t about locking everything down or trusting everyone blindly. It’s about setting up the right systems, training your people, and keeping things under regular review.
The goal? Make sensitive documents easy for the right people to access – and impossible for the wrong ones.
