The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has reminded employers that they may publicly announce an employee's departure from a company, but must limit the information disclosed to what is necessary and avoid exposing former workers to public shaming.
In an advisory discussing employee information, the NPC cited Advisory Opinion No. 2022-009, which recognizes that employers may have a legitimate reason to inform the public that a former employee is no longer affiliated with their organization.
Such announcements may be necessary to prevent fraud or stop former employees from falsely representing themselves as current company representatives, the commission said.
However, the NPC stressed that employers must observe the principle of data minimization under the Data Privacy Act, which requires organizations to collect and disclose only personal information that is adequate, relevant and necessary for a specific purpose.
This means employers should generally limit public announcements to the former employee's name and a statement clarifying that the individual is no longer connected with the company.
The commission said employers should avoid including unnecessary personal information or details that could embarrass or publicly shame the former employee.
Employers must also consider whether a public announcement is necessary or if directly notifying affected clients and other concerned parties would be sufficient.
The reminder comes amid mixed reactions to a social media post by a cafe's management in Silang, Cavite announcing that one of its employees had resigned and was no longer affiliated with the establishment.
The post drew questions from online users about the need to publicly identify a former employee, whether the business would make similar announcements every time a worker resigns and whether the individual had given consent for the use of their photograph.
Others acknowledged that the establishment may have had a legitimate reason for issuing the notice but stressed that such announcements must have limits and respect the privacy rights of former employees.
The NPC emphasized that employers should consider less intrusive ways of communicating an employee's departure, such as directly informing affected clients, before resorting to a public announcement.
