Getting a copy of your data

Your right

You can ask your employer for a copy of the personal information it holds about you, such as emails that mention you, notes of meetings and your HR file. This is a subject access request.

How to ask

1. Write to your employer, ideally to its data protection officer or HR, and keep a copy.
2. Say you are making a subject access request under the UK GDPR.
3. Be as specific as you can about what you want, such as dates, people and topics. That makes the search easier and quicker.

What happens next

• Your employer usually has one month to reply. It can extend this by up to two more months for complex or numerous requests, if it tells you why within the first month.
• If it asks you to clarify your request, the clock stops until you reply.
• It must make reasonable and proportionate searches.
• It is normally free.
• Some information can be withheld or blacked out, for example to protect other people.

If your employer does not respond properly, complain to it first, then to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Read next

• Raising a grievance