Access Profiles, Inc.

Your Privacy Policy, or Privacy Statement, should have two versions. One that will appear on your website and one for the Owners, Managers, and Employees of your company.

The “public” online version should include the policy's purpose and an overview. It should also cover the key elements within your policy.

The purpose section is where you share why you have created a Privacy Policy. Explaining that you recognize the need to maintain the confidentiality of personal information and that you are dedicated to the protection of it throughout your company is vital.

Your online version will include an outline of your policy’s key elements. It should explain what type of information is considered PII, how you retain that information within your company, and the training you give your employees and contractors in the safe handling of PII.

It should also share how PII is transmitted to your employees and  contractors who may have access to PII, your adherence to all regulatory requirements concerning PII, and your dedication to the confidentiality of this information. Including your commitment to discipline, re-train, suspend, and/or terminate anyone violating your Privacy Policy is also important.

While that covers the public version of your Privacy Policy, it is also important that you have a more comprehensive, internal version, for your employees and contractors.


To make it truly informative, this internal policy statement should start by including specific examples of PII. This will help your new and existing employees recognize exactly what they should look for and safeguard.

Under your Retention section, it is important you detail how long your company retains PII information and your procedures for its disposal. 

Addressing employee and contractor training is also important. Reinforcing your dedication to safeguarding PII, when and how you initiate the training, and emphasizing mandatory compliance should be your focus. In addition, you should explain your commitment to ongoing observation and internal audits for potential violations.

It would also be wise to include “minimum necessary” and “need to know” principles in your Privacy Policy. Making sure to limit access to PII to only those employees and contractors that absolutely require it to do their jobs is the best practice.

Your internal Privacy Policy should also be more detailed when it comes to addressing data on portable devices and off-site access. Requiring anyone with access to PII to use only assigned, approved devices makes sense.

When it comes to regulatory requirements concerning PII, you need to state in your policy your commitment to complying with existing laws and staying abreast of any changes to those laws. Assigning this specific duty to one or two designated employees helps.

Finally, your detailed in-house Privacy Policy must outline what will happen in the event there is a violation or breach in your PII protocol. Be sure to completely explain the penalties for a first or subsequent offense so your employees and contractors understand the consequences of not following PII policy. 

Created by Kimberly Kline, API

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Created by Kimberly Kline, API

That duty begins with guarding the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of your employees and clients.

Here we will discuss what information is considered PII, why it is important, and what you need to do now to safeguard it.

PII (Personally Identifiable Information) is defined as any information that can be used to determine a person’s identity. It also covers any information that when combined with other identifying information can reveal a person’s identity.

Specific Examples of PII are:

• Full Name (if not common)
• Home Address
• Date of  Birth
• Social Security Number / National Identification Number
• Telephone Number
• Email Address (if private)
• Vehicle Registration Number
• Driver’s License Number
• Fingerprints or Handwriting
• Credit Card Numbers
• Genetic Information
• Login Name, Screen Name, or Handle (radio)

There is also information that could potentially be PII when it is combined with other Personally Identifiable Information. The idea here is that one or more of these examples when put together increases the possibility of identifying a person.  

Examples of potential PII:

• Full Name (if common)
• Country, state, zip code, city of residence
• Age
• Gender or Race
• Name of School they attended or their Workplace
• Grades, Salary, or Job Position
• Criminal Record
• IP Address

Safeguarding this type of information is important. 

Maybe they have been working for others and are unsatisfied. Or maybe they are looking for a better way to take care of themselves and their families. Or, quite possibly, the pandemic shined an even brighter light on the pay, benefits, and working conditions of their current job.

No matter the reason, the dream of being an entrepreneur strikes many.

When we started Access Profiles, we were somewhere in between.

We knew that we wanted to start a background check company. The idea of helping other small business owners succeed by helping them "hire right" appealed to us.

We were lucky enough to start our business with partners. Each of us brought our own skill set to the table ~ and where one of us was lacking, there was another one of us to fill the gap.

But we still had a lot to learn. Most of it was by trial and error. And it certainly helped that we all were willing to jump right in and do many things we never had done before.

We gradually broke away from these partners and started running the business on our own. It was a wildly exciting and scary time. But we have persevered.

Created by Kim Kline, API

Last year I wrote about a wide range of subjects, but all were focused on you and your small business.




Reader’s Choice ~ 2016’s Top Read Small Biz Articles!  “Tweet This” 



There is no wonder then that most of my top articles center around hiring and background checks.  Those two topics effect anyone who owns a small business and is thinking about taking on even one employee.



Of those articles, “Your 2016 Small Business Hiring Checklist ~ What You Need to Do Now” got the most traction.


Here I shared 8 tips that covered everything from developing a hiring strategy and attracting top talent, to how to hire a good screening company.  And these tips are just as relevant in 2017!   




My next top article looked a little more at employment background checks.


When it comes to these checks, employers can realize their value but still be making some costly mistakes.  Not following legal guidelines or not using employment screenings to their full potential top the list.   



To help, I shared the Top 5 Background Check mistakes you may be making, and what you can do to get on the right track.  Find them in “5 Background Check Mistakes You Need to Stop Making Now”!




Another top hiring article was “Why You Should Check Employments on all Your New Hires”.


When people hear the phrase “background check”,  they most often think of the criminal check first.  However, there are other parts of a good screening that are just as important!


In this article, I shared the valuable information that can be gained from checking with the companies where your applicant has already worked.


The key is to know HOW to Ask the Right Questions!  Find out more here!








In the first, I shared what information you, as an employer, should make sure your applicants know.


Being open and up front about the entire hiring and background check process helps relieve your applicant’s stress and start off your employer / employee relationship on the right foot!


Find out more in “Ready to Hire?  What Your Applicant Needs to Know!”.




The second concerns resume lies ~ one of the top reasons employers use background checks during the hiring process in the first place.  It is also a reason for not hiring an applicant if one is found!

In “Employers Share ~ Lie on Your Resume and You Lose”, I list the top 5 resume lies that will keep someone from getting hired and what a smart job seeker will do instead!




In the last of these 3 articles, “How Companies are Really Using Social Media to Hire”, I focused on what employers are looking for and why when they check out their applicants online!


What surprised many was that employers are really checking online to confirm that their top pick is really the right person for the job!  That includes verifying job qualifications and whether their applicant is projecting a professional online image.

Created by Kim Kline, API

In another of my most read articles, “What Storm Jonas can Teach You about Cooperation, Good People, and Small Business!”, I discussed why it is important for small business owners to act as a “community” to help each other succeed. 


“By joining with other small businesses, we can pool our resources, our knowledge, and our experiences to create a powerful community.  We need to see ourselves as partners working toward a common goal.”


And keeping our sense of humor along the way doesn’t hurt either!




Despite the importance of helping others, there are times when it becomes “more than just lending a helping hand”.  This is when we need to remember to take care of ourselves and recognize the value of our time and knowledge.


That is why I believe that “Are You Paying it Forward or Just not Getting Paid?” resonated with so many.  In this article I shared 3 steps to help you “Pay it Forward” without being made to feel that you are being taken advantage of. 





My top most popular article was all about blogging for your small business!  In “Do You Want to Know the Best Blogging advice I Ever Got?” I shared the tips that have truly spoken to me and helped me to transform my own blog.


The key has been to really find my “voice” and make sure my blog is a good reflection of my brand!





My final Top Read Article of 2016 also dealt with blogging.  In “Are You Afraid of Starting Your Small Business Blog?”, I took a look at the fears that keep so many of you from starting a blog about your own small business.  I also share why blogging has been so great for my company and some easy steps so you can get started too!









I hope to continue sharing topics and insights that will help you with your Small Business.  If you have anything you would like me to cover in the coming year, let me know!  I want 2017 to be great for Small Business. 


Are You with Me?


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I hope that all of you have the chance to do the same!


If you need some inspiration of your own, take a look at some of the articles I shared in the past. They are filled with tips and news to help you succeed in your own Small Business!

Created by Kim Kline, AP

In the coming year I already have articles planned on helping you start and revamp your business, keeping you informed about hiring trends and regulations, and much more!









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