Post Covid flexible working and international recruitment has grown exponentially. Alongside this trend is the rapid enactment of global data protection laws, both adding to the complexity of the management of employee data. Here we discuss the five steps for essential privacy compliance for HR teams.
- Implement an employee and candidate data privacy policy:
Create and implement a data privacy policy that clearly outlines how the HR department will collect, use, store, and protect employee data. Make sure the policy is easily accessible to all employees and that they are informed about the policy. Provide candidates with an easily accessible link to the policy on all communications and the ATS system.
- Use secure systems for employee data storage:
Ensure that all employee data is stored in secure systems with access controls. Consider using encryption or other security measures to protect sensitive information, such as Health and trade union membership and political and religious beliefs.
- Limit access to employee data:
Restrict access to employee data only to authorized personnel who need the information to perform their job duties. Implement a system for granting and revoking access to employee data based on job roles and responsibilities.
- Provide employee training on data privacy:
Educate employees on data privacy best practices, including how to identify and report potential data breaches and the importance of protecting confidential information. Training should be conducted regularly to ensure that employees are up to date on the latest privacy policies and regulations.
- Conduct regular data privacy audits:
Regularly review HR data privacy policies and procedures to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities. Remediate any gaps and Implement changes or improvements as needed to ensure that employee data is protected and in compliance with data privacy regulations. Carry out an independent HR privacy assessment.
Ensure that data retention schedules are applied to personal data, especially with candidate applications and employee leavers.
If you have clean and relevant employee data, it reduces risk and increased resource time to complete Data Subject Access Requests.