Imagine a workplace where every team member acts as a privacy champion. This vision starts with understanding their current behaviours and attitudes towards privacy. Embracing "People-First Privacy" involves assessing these factors to uncover gaps, tailor training, and empower staff to value privacy as an essential part of their role.

Starting with measurement

Before you can help employees become privacy champions, you need to know where they’re starting from. This means evaluating:

• Where they stand: What are their existing behaviours and attitudes towards privacy?
• What they need: Where are the gaps in knowledge, and how engaged are they with privacy initiatives?
• Their perceptions: Do they view privacy as essential, or just another task?

Surveys, assessments, or informal feedback sessions can provide insight here, helping you determine the current level of privacy understanding and commitment among your team. Understanding these basics sets the stage for targeted, impactful training.

Identifying knowledge and attitude gaps

Once you have a clearer picture of where your team stands, it’s essential to analyse the results. Look for areas where privacy knowledge is low or where certain attitudes might be barriers to a privacy-first approach. Here are a few examples:

• Knowledge shortfalls: Are there misunderstandings about data handling or the importance of privacy practices?
• Attitude barriers: Is there apathy or resistance to privacy initiatives? Do team members see privacy as “someone else’s responsibility”?
• Behavioural concerns: Are there recurring risky practices when handling data?

This analysis is crucial because it provides a foundation for crafting a training programme that is genuinely relevant to your team’s needs.

Tailoring training to empower

Training that isn’t specific to your team’s actual needs tends to fall flat. Instead, use the knowledge gaps and attitudes you’ve identified to create a programme that speaks directly to their challenges and priorities.

For example, if employees lack an understanding of secure data handling, develop training around practical, day-to-day tips they can use. If they’re unsure of privacy’s relevance to their role, use real-life scenarios to highlight the personal and organisational impact of data breaches.

Interactive workshops or discussions often work well here. By using examples and scenarios that feel relevant to their roles, employees are more likely to engage with the material. Tailoring training in this way makes privacy feel like less of an imposed rule and more of a shared responsibility, encouraging a genuine commitment to safeguarding data.

Benchmarking and measuring progress

It’s vital to re-assess behaviours and attitudes after implementing your training to measure how well it’s working. This doesn’t need to be complex—a simple follow-up survey or observation of changes in practice can provide useful insights.

Key areas to track include:

• Attitude changes: Do employees now see privacy as central to their role?
• Behavioural improvements: Are risky practices on the decline?
• Impact on risks: Are privacy incidents or potential security issues being avoided more often?

These metrics provide a concrete view of progress and highlight areas where additional training or support might be needed. Regular measurement is an opportunity to celebrate wins and acknowledge areas that require ongoing attention.

Understanding the psychology behind behaviours

To encourage staff to champion privacy, it’s helpful to understand how beliefs and motivations impact behaviour. People’s attitudes towards privacy are often shaped by their own assumptions or perceptions, so addressing these can foster positive change.

For instance, if staff feel that privacy protocols slow down their work, or think that breaches won’t personally impact them, they’re likely to deprioritise privacy. By addressing these beliefs through training, real-life examples, and open dialogue, you can reshape mindsets and encourage a more proactive approach to privacy.

When people see privacy as both a personal and professional responsibility, they’re more likely to follow protocols and speak up if they see something amiss. This is when privacy truly becomes part of your culture.

Creating privacy champions

Building a team of privacy champions isn’t about enforcing rules but fostering understanding and commitment. Make privacy a shared value by helping employees feel that they have a role in shaping a secure workplace.

Encourage participation by involving them in privacy discussions, decision-making, and even in developing privacy initiatives. This shows that their perspectives are valued and that privacy is a collective effort. Recognising and celebrating positive privacy behaviours also helps reinforce these actions and build momentum.

Fostering a supportive environment where privacy is discussed openly helps normalise it as part of daily work. Leadership should lead by example, modelling behaviours they want to see reflected across the team.

Conclusion

Turning staff into privacy champions doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about starting with a clear understanding of where they are, identifying knowledge gaps and attitudes, and using that insight to craft tailored training that resonates.

"People-First Privacy" is about nurturing privacy as a value, not just a requirement. When team members feel understood and supported, they’re more likely to take ownership of privacy. Empowering your staff to become champions means building a workplace where privacy is genuinely prioritised, fostering a proactive, resilient culture.

Investing in training, ongoing measurement, and open communication transforms privacy into a natural part of your organisation’s daily life. By focusing on people, you create a culture that safeguards not only data but also trust—both within the organisation and with the outside world.