25th May 2018 is the day that many businesses have been preparing for—as it marks the introduction of the new EU GDPR regulations. However, if you’re not prepared for GDPR yet, then don’t panic! At our leading London recruitment agency, we’ll give you the low-down so you can get GDPR-ready as soon as possible.
What is GDPR?
If you’re not sure what GDPR is, it stands for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. The aim is to improve data protection for people who live in Europe. Don’t think that an impending Brexit means it’s not applicable to us in the UK—it is. GDPR essentially gives individuals increased control over their personal data and more rights regarding its usage.
What rights do people have?
Individuals have the right to be informed of how their data is collected, used, stored, managed, and shared, including:
- Right of access to their data, which can be requested in writing.
- Right to rectification of incomplete or inaccurate data about them.
- Right to be “forgotten” under certain circumstances.
- Right to suppress or block processing of your personal data.
- New right to portability of data, allowing employees to obtain and reuse their personal data for their own purposes under certain circumstances.
While some of these rights are similar to those given under the Data Protection Act (1998), GDPR means enhanced rights and control for people—so you need to be sure you understand the new regulations.
What do businesses need to do?
To ensure GDPR compliance, businesses need to tighten any processes that involve the collection, storage, usage, management, and disposal of people’s personal data to ensure safety and security. This may include: conducting an information audit of the data you currently hold, updating and communicating your privacy policy, updating your current data processes, reviewing data consent, protecting against data breaches, and assigning a data protection officer—among other things.
How does it work in practice?
To give you an idea of what GDPR might look like in real life, we’ll use ourselves as an example. As a recruitment agency in London (i.e. inside the EU), we have to ensure data protection for our candidates. This means we have to be transparent and upfront with candidates about their personal data, including why we need access to it, whether we’ll share it with anyone and why, how long we will use the data for it, and how long we will store it for afterwards.
What to do if you need help
Breaking this law comes with a severe penalty, so if you haven’t got GDPR-ready yet, you should get prepared now. If you’re worried about ensuring GDPR compliance in your business, have no fear—as a leading recruitment agency, we have robust knowledge of GDPR and we’re here to help. If you need help, advice, or information, we have expert GDPR staff who can be with you in an hour.
Information on GDPR for candidates
If you’re a candidate wondering what GDPR means for you, check out our previous blog for candidates on GDPR.
For more information on employment law, check out the Love Success Recruitment Agency blog. If you’re looking to hire temporary or permanent PAs, office support staff, or something else, get in touch with our team today.
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