Site Logo

Law firm Blake Morgan releases updated GDPR guide

Law firm, Blake Morgan has launched a new and updated guide, We Mean Business: Counting Down to the GDPR, which includes practical and specialist guidance for employers in order to achieve compliance over the next few months.

The new guide comes after a survey by Blake Morgan revealed nine out of 10 businesses had still not made crucial updates to their privacy policies, a key requirement of GDPR for handling employee data.

Under the GDPR, employees as data subjects will have greater rights than they currently do under the current UK Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998. The regulations present employers with a number of important changes concerning both the way they handle information about their employees and what they tell employees about the information they store.

Mike Wilson, Managing Partner and an employment specialist at Blake Morgan said, "GDPR raises the bar significantly from existing legislation in terms of giving employees greater rights and compliance is likely to require a practical, cultural and structural shift in the majority of businesses and organisations.

"Compliance may seem like a mountain to climb, but the long-term payoff for employers will be considerable. It presents a real opportunity for employers to transform traditionally closed processes into more meaningful engagement with staff around things like employee performance and development."

The main changes HR professionals will need to address are:

  • Issuing job applicants and employees with a privacy notice detailing what type of information about them is/will be stored, on what legal basis, and what their rights are in relation to that information. Employers should be doing something similar already, but under the GDPR it will need to be a lot more detailed.
  • Making sure that as an employer, consent, in general, is not relied on as a basis for lawful processing. This will mean changing general data protection consent forms, application forms, and contracts.
  • Training staff on the significant changes to employees' rights in relation to accessing their information and asking for it to be rectified, deleted, restricted or to object to the employer using or storing the information.
  • Working more closely with IT teams on understanding what information is stored and used, including considering the wide range of digital information held on employees including activity on work IT systems, mobile devices, vehicles, CCTV and wearable technology.
  • Appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO) if they are a public authority. Any organisation can appoint a DPO, but all employers must ensure that they have sufficient staff and skills to discharge their obligations under the GDPR.

Blake Morgan's data protection, regulatory experts and employment experts are available to answer questions from organisations about GDPR at GDPR@blakemorgan.co.uk

To download a free copy of the guide visit www.blakemorgan.co.uk/GDPR

More News
1 month ago
How to prepare for the new changes to employment laws
Employment laws are due an overhaul in April, with changes to flexible working, request amends, and protection for new parents and carer's leave, among other changes. Vivek Dodd, CEO of Skillcast, warns that failure to comply could result in serious consequences.
1 month ago
British Safety Council Keep Thriving workshop to take place in Cardiff
As part of its charitable work, British Safety Council is offering SMEs and micro-sized organisations in Cardiff the chance to attend a 3-hour workshop, delivered by its Being Well Together experts, completely free of charge to explore how to develop a well-being strategy.
1 month ago
Mitel appoints new SVP and Head of International Region
Mitel, experts in business communications, has announced the appointment of Simon Skellon as SVP and Head of International Region.
1 month ago
VIPRE Security Group appoints new General Manager of Business Security Division
VIPRE Security Group, a cybersecurity solutions provider, has appointed Usman Choudhary as General Manager of its Business Security Division, encompassing VIPRE EDR and Advanced Threat Protection for Email, SafeSend for Email, and Inspired eLearning security awareness training.
1 month ago
Ascentae unveils smart workplace experience centre
Ascentae, a UK-based workplace solution and value-added distributor, has announced the opening of a new Experience Centre in the heart of Clerkenwell, London.
1 month ago
IT at forefront of sustainability efforts, but lacks proper tools and expertise
A report commissioned by OpenText has found that IT departments are playing a major role in achieving corporate sustainability objectives and cited the lack of innovative tools and expertise as the primary challenges they face in meeting those goals.
1 month ago
Harrison provides bespoke manufacturing services to B&Q stores
B&Q set out to find a partner that could provide a range of display components, including a new-look dump bin. While the products had already been designed by B&Q, Harrison was invited to tender for the project at a later date.
1 month ago
Leyard Europe LED supports new educational exhibition
A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), Europe’s flagship laboratory for research into life sciences.
1 month ago
Crawley Town Centre BID invests in AI visitor behaviour platform
Crawley BID has invested in Place Informatics Visitor Behaviour Platform to help understand, manage, and improve town centre services and events.
1 month ago
Viking re-establishes presence in Ireland
Office supplies reseller Viking is re-establishing its presence in Ireland with the opening of a distribution centre in Dublin, the development of a local sales team, and the creation of a local customer service centre.

Login / Sign up