GDPR: One month to go

New GDPR regulations don’t just apply to customer data. Under GDPR, organisations will have to ensure that the rights of employees are also compliant to avoid potential fines. To achieve this, organisations should produce a clear and understandable intranet page that inform employees of how their data rights are changing.
To handle future employee requests, HR and payroll teams should ensure they have a clear method in place. The intranet page can be used for employees to know where they can issue a request, while the HR and payroll team should know which member is responsible for handling and processing the requests.
HR and payroll teams should be able to produce clear evidence that the organisation is handling data in a way that complies with GDPR at all times to remain compliant.

The thought of developing a new, GDPR compliant data register may seem like a daunting task. However, there are many ways to set up and maintain a data register with ease. It is possible to adapt an existing register into a GDPR compliant format: our GDPR Data Register blog provides specific information of what organisations need to know.
Under GDPR, organisations must ensure that they can detail the reasons as to why they are keeping all data. To remain compliant, organisations will be required to keep a record of the personal data they process. The organisation’s inventory must clarify data in categories (including employee performance data, payroll data, etc.), with each category assigned an information owner that are responsible for keeping the register compliant updated.

As important as it is to ensure that the HR and payroll department is working towards GDPR compliance, they should not be working alone. It is important that multiple departments (from IT to legal) liaise with each other, as GDPR will affect the entire organisation.
Organisation-wide awareness is key to compliance: leadership buy-in and ownership is vital. Creating easy-to-follow procedures and communicating early will help the organisation to collaborate in working towards becoming GDPR compliant.
Communicate how the organisation will be compliant by issuing a company statement which clarifies the organisation’s plans. Providing evidence is vital to make sure that the company can demonstrate GDPR compliance to both data regulators and clients. If an organisation is not ready by the May 25th deadline, it should instead provide proof that it have been appropriately working towards compliance to avoid a penalty.

If HR and payroll teams, and employees, have a clear operating procedure to follow, it is more likely that the transition to GDPR compliance will be a smooth one. To find out more, read our Top Five Lessons on Implementing GDPR.

For more information on how SD Worx can help your global payroll needs, please contact us here, or for general enquiries email us at WeAreGlobal@sdworx.com.