What is the purpose of data governance in HRIS?

• A. To enforce never sharing data
• B. To ensure data is always public
• C. To ensure privacy, accuracy, access control, and compliance
• D. To maximize data collection regardless of privacy

Answer: (C)

Data governance in HRIS focuses on managing HR data as a valuable asset through clear policies, standards, and controls. Its purpose is to ensure privacy, accuracy, access control, and compliance. Privacy protects employee information from unnecessary exposure; accuracy guarantees reliable and trustworthy HR records for decisions like salaries, benefits, and performance; access control ensures only authorized people can view or modify data; and compliance makes sure handling of data follows laws, regulations, and internal policies (such as data retention, consent, and audit trails). Together, these elements keep HR data trustworthy, secure, and usable for legitimate organizational needs. An absolute ban on sharing is impractical; making data public violates privacy; and always maximizing collection disregards privacy and legal requirements, all of which data governance aims to balance.