Ethical Practice has two neighbouring key-concept lists that items constantly cross: privacy principles and policies, and internal ethics controls. Learn which items sit under which heading.
Privacy principles and policies
Three items: anonymity, confidentiality, and opt-in/opt-out policies.
Encryption, retention schedules, and data minimization are real data-security controls, but the BASK does not name them here. Arbitration, mandatory disclosure, background screening, and consent decrees are not on this list either.
Internal ethics controls
Two items: protection of employee confidentiality and standards for employee investigations.
- Executive sponsorship and diversity metrics are Inclusive Mindset infrastructure concepts.
- Pay audits and pay transparency reporting are Inclusive Mindset equity-measurement concepts.
- Influence and people management techniques are Leadership & Navigation key concepts.
Applying the privacy principles
- A survey sold as anonymous whose dashboard filters down to teams of three has broken anonymity: responses become effectively identifiable. This is not an opt-in failure, because opt-in is about whether employees choose to participate, not whether their answers can be traced.
- A wellness vendor enrolling employees in data sharing by default, with no notice and no way to decline, is an opt-in/opt-out failure. Employees must control participation.
- Authenticity is genuineness of conduct. It is an ethical business principle, and it never answers a consent or vendor-status question.
Applying the investigation control
When a director asks for interview notes from a live fraud investigation into his own manager so he can "stay ahead of it", decline and follow the organization's investigation standards, limiting disclosure to those with a legitimate need to know. The proficiency indicator directs HR to maintain privacy as appropriate.
A reporting line is not an entitlement to investigative material, and a verbal summary is the same disclosure in a different medium. Suspending the investigation is its own risk.