If the harassment counselor wishes to file anonymously, would it be acceptable to assign only a case number?
Hello. We operate a workplace harassment counseling service at a company with approximately 500 employees.
Recently, a caller requested that a record of the call be kept so that they could contact us again regarding the same matter, even though they did not wish to reveal their name and affiliation at the moment. Previously, anonymous consultations were recorded only with the date and department, but when multiple similar consultations were received, it was difficult to distinguish whether they were follow-up contacts from the same person.
We are currently reviewing a plan to assign case numbers instead of names and instruct counselors to keep the numbers, while keeping only the filing date, contact channel, key issues, whether immediate protection is required, and the next contact method in internal records. However, we are concerned about whether it is possible to verify the facts necessary to initiate an investigation or take protective measures using only the case number, and how to verify identity if the number is lost.
Is it acceptable to assign only a case number during the anonymous consultation stage? I would like to know the information that needs to be verified when the case is converted to an official report, how to separate consultation and investigation records, and how to determine the access rights and retention standards for case numbers.
- Unknown User2Dain Co., Ltd.Dain Co., Ltd.107 Answers1% Answer adoption rateSpecializes in Health Management, psychological counseling
- Unknown User1
- Dain Co., Ltd.Dain Co., Ltd.107 Answers1% Answer adoption rateSpecializes in Health Management, psychological counseling
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- 02coach AnswerHello, this is Nudge EAP โบ๏ธ Yes, the correct approach is to group reports by management type rather than by disease name. Health information is considered sensitive information under Article 23 of the Personal Information Protection Act, and Article 3 of the same Act stipulates that information should be processed anonymously if the purpose can be achieved even without anonymity. Article 132, Paragraph 3 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act also prohibits the use of health examination results for purposes other than the protection and maintenance of workers' health. If "1 person with hypertension" appears in a team of three, the individual can be identified even without a name, which effectively amounts to reporting personal health information. - Monthly Report: It is sufficient to include the number of personnel, consultations, and referrals by management type, such as continuous management, follow-up observation, or referral to external medical institutions. The Ministry of Employment and Labor's "Workplace Health Management Manual" also provides an example of aggregating records from the health management office by reason for visit. - Department Classification: There is no need to eliminate it entirely; you can simply group departments with fewer personnel into larger units like "Factory" or "Headquarters" to display them. There is no legal standard regarding the number of people below which records must be combined, so the company is free to determine this. However, I recommend documenting these standards, such as "combining departments with fewer than 10 people" and marking columns with fewer than 3 cases as '<3'." Since covering just one column allows one to subtract it from the total to determine the number, please cover those columns as well. - Numbers by Disease: If the goal is next year's health promotion plan, a company-wide annual tally is more appropriate than monthly figures by department. Group only items with sufficient case counts into disease groups and provide them separately as data for planning purposes. If you record only the management type in the monthly report, the standards will remain consistent even if the same requests are repeated. - Original Consultation Logs: It is appropriate to keep the original documents containing disease names and blood pressure readings separately from the reports so that only the health office can view them. Since there is no statutory retention period for consultation records themselves, you must establish internal standards. However, health examination results are retained for 5 years (Article 241 of the Enforcement Rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Act), so keeping the two records in different folders will prevent confusion. I have summarized the methods for sharing consultation logs, department head opinions, and management reports, as well as a monthly report Excel file where small cells are automatically hidden when a management type is entered, in the post below. https://nudgeeap.com/community/privacy-pension/137475052 https://nudgeeap.com/community/privacy-pension/137475098223326.10.27
- 03coach AnswerHello, this is Nudge EAP โบ๏ธ Rather than excluding all dispatched workers from vaccination support simply because they are dispatched employees, it is better to first check the criteria used to provide support to employees performing similar tasks at the same site. Article 21 of the Dispatched Workers Act prohibits discrimination against dispatched workers compared to employees performing the same or similar duties at the user employer, and discriminatory treatment includes matters regarding welfare benefits (Article 2, Clause 7 of the Dispatched Workers Act; Article 2, Clause 3 of the Fixed-Term Employment Act). However, this does not apply if the user employer employs four or fewer workers on a regular basis, and since judgments may vary depending on the employees being compared and the support conditions, it is difficult to conclude that "the same support must be provided to all dispatched workers unconditionally." - Eligibility: Please first organize the eligibility criteria and reasons for exclusion so that the user employer and the dispatching company can provide guidance based on the same standards. You should review company-mandated welfare support and statutory health checkups separately. - Costs: We were unable to find any criteria regarding the sharing of vaccination costsโsuch as which company must bear the full cost or split the ratioโwithin the scope of this review. After verifying the dispatch contract and welfare standards, ensure that both companies agree on the party responsible for the costs, the settlement method, and the application deadline before vaccination. - Lists and Consent Forms: It is advisable for the company to verify only the minimum information necessary for application and cost settlement, and to negotiate with the vaccination hospital to have them directly collect pre-examination forms, chronic illnesses, and medications. Since health information is sensitive data under Article 23 of the Personal Information Protection Act, requiring separate consent or a legal basis, do not hand over original vaccination-related documents to the dispatch agency. - Post-Vaccination Inquiries: Provide the contact information for the vaccination hospital and medical staff in advance, and designate a joint contact person for both the company and the dispatch agency. It is difficult to prematurely assume that one company bears full responsibility simply because an adverse reaction occurred, and in emergency situations, emergency response services such as 119 take priority. In practice, confusion is reduced if both companies and the hospital first agree on four pointsโeligibility, costs, where information is received, and post-vaccination contact informationโand then provide the same notice to the employees. Reference: https://www.law.go.kr/๋ฒ๋ น/ํ๊ฒฌ๊ณต๋ก์๋ณด๋ฑ์๊ดํ๋ฒ๋ฅ /์ 21์กฐ162226.10.29
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