ISO 27001:2022 Annex A Control 6.2: Terms and Conditions of Employment

Any new employee must be subject to a contractual agreement, in order to give them a clear understanding of the company’s and their own responsibility for information security. This is at the core of Annex A control 6.2.

Requiring workers to sign an employment contract or another form of agreement ensures that new staff are familiar with the company’s information security policy and the roles and responsibilities within it.

Understanding control 6.2

Control 6.2 aims to make sure employees are aware of their responsibility over protecting company assets and confidential information. The control describes the terms and conditions of employment within an organisation’s ISMS, supporting compliance with a range of legal and regulatory requirements.

Employees must be aware of the confidentiality obligations they hold, as well as other relevant terms and conditions, before starting work. This may involve tech or social media restrictions.

Annually reviewing control 6.2 ensures that changes to business procedures or structures are reflected in employee documentation.

Meeting the requirements of Annex 6.2

Complying with control 6.2 is relatively simple, as an employment contract or letter outlining all terms and conditions of employment is all that’s required. This is particularly important for roles and duties relating to information security.

The organisation’s information security policy and relevant topic-specific policies should be taken into account when creating contractual obligations. Control 6.2 states that an employment contract should cover the following points:

• Signed confidentiality or nondisclosure agreements by those given access to confidential information, before they are given access

• A rundown of legal rights and responsibilities, such as data protection laws and copyright laws

• Outline of responsibilities surrounding information asset management and the classification of information

• A record of the information processing facilities, information services, information assets and other associated assets handled by personnel

• The responsibility for handling information from interested parties

• Actions taken and explained in the event of personnel disregarding information security requirements

• Agreement to terms and conditions by personnel

What’s changed since 2013?

Control 6.2 from ISO 27001:2022 replaces control 7.1.2 from ISO 27001:2013, and there is no difference between the two except for certain phraseology and the annex number.