Top 5 GDPR Rules Every HR Manager Must Know

A historic law known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was created to safeguard people’s personal information inside the European Union (EU). GDPR has important ramifications for HR managers, even though it is mostly related to marketing and customer data. Personal information belonging to employees must be treated with the same caution and adherence as that of customers. To guarantee compliance, HR managers need to be aware of these five GDPRs.

1. Justification for Processing Data Lawfully

The legal foundation for the collection and processing of employee data must be established by HR management. In HR, common legal bases include:

• Necessary Content: Processing information for employment contracts or payroll, for example.
• Legal Obligation: Fulfilling legal obligations, such as submitting taxes.
• Consent: Employees must provide clear, informed consent when no other legal justification is available.

2. Openness and Workers’ Rights

GDPR mandates openness in the gathering, handling, and archiving of employee data. Under GDPR, employees have several rights, including:

• Access: Workers can ask for a copy of their personal information.
• Rectification: They can fix information that is erroneous or lacking.
• Erasure: Under specific circumstances, such as when their data is no longer required, employees may request that it be deleted.

A detailed privacy notice detailing the handling of employee data must be provided by HR management.

3. Minimizing Data

Only information that is required for objectives should be gathered by HR departments. GDPR may be broken, for instance, by gathering extensive personal data unrelated to work performance or legal obligations.

4. Breach Management and Data Security

Organizations are required by GDPR to put in place suitable security measures to guard against breaches involving personal data. This includes:

• Encryption: To lower the chance of exposure, encrypt sensitive employee data.
• Access Controls: Grant only authorized personnel access to data.
• Incident Response Plan: Establish a precise procedure for handling data breaches, which should include alerting authorities and impacted parties within 72 hours.

5. Policies for Retention and Deletion

GDPR requires that personal information not be retained for longer than is required. Clear data retention timelines must be established and followed by HR management. As an illustration:

• Keep payroll records to ensure tax laws are followed
• After a predetermined amount of time, remove the application data for rejected applicants

Why HR Needs to Comply with GDPR

Significant fines and harm to one’s reputation may arise from noncompliance with GDPR. More significantly, following GDPR guidelines builds employee trust by demonstrating that their privacy is a top concern.

HR managers can guarantee that company procedures comply with legal requirements while fostering an environment of openness and confidence by becoming proficient in these five GDPR regulations.

Also read: Exploring the 11 Key Responsibilities of HR Managers

Author - Ishani Mohanty

She is a certified research scholar with a Master's Degree in English Literature and Foreign Languages, specialized in American Literature; well trained with strong research skills, having a perfect grip on writing Anaphoras on social media. She is a strong, self dependent, and highly ambitious individual. She is eager to apply her skills and creativity for an engaging content.