H&M employee in Sweden: "I was shocked when I read my personal act"

- I was shocked to see everything they had stored about me. It was also privately sensitive information that they should not store, Anneli tells SVT News.

Anneli was a clothing designer at H&M and talks about her experiences in the newly released book "The big boss" which is about H&M's main owner Stefan Persson. She worked at the head office in Stockholm and experienced a conflict when she wanted to go down in working hours to take care of her child. She began to feel that H&M had stored sensitive data from previous years.

- When I wanted to request my personal act, they reacted strangely. It was only after a long process that I got to read what was in the archives, she says.

Anneli found close to 200 pages of information. Much was such that she understands that a company saves on employees. But some "positive" information about her education and success was missing. But there was also a "personal file" with 40-50 pages where there were sensitive private information such as sick leave during pregnancy, information on medications, side effects and details such as her family counseling.

Anneli had no ongoing sick leave case or rehabilitation about this and feels that they have saved information that is not allowed to store.

- There were things that I said in confidence to a manager I trusted. Such information has no right to be stored in archives that others can see, she says.

When SVT News tells about the Anneli case for H & M's new CEO Helena Helmersson, she is very careful in her answers. She does not want to deny or confirm that H&M stores sensitive information about employees.

- It sounds very strange and I have no insight into it. I know what rules we have and it is super strict to follow the laws that exist. It's super important to us.

Companies have the right to collect information about employees. Information about sick leave may be available, and in some cases stored, if the employer can claim that these specific information is relevant to managing, for example, sickness benefit or a rehabilitation plan.