Workplace monitoring has become a matter of particular contention in recent years. In a world where remote and hybrid working practices have become the norm, many employers have concerns about what their employees are actually doing while ‘at work’ elsewhere. This has led to an increasing amount of discussion about monitoring employees who are working … Continue Reading
In an attempt to keep Covid-19 out of the workplace, many employers have been inquiring about the possibility of performing temperature checks before employees enter their premises each day. The Belgian Ministry of Employment’s position until last week was fairly relaxed: its FAQ document referred to the stance taken by the Belgian Data Protection Authority, … Continue Reading
In part 1 of this blog series, we asked how employers facing a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) should be dealing with ‘mixed data’ cases, i.e. when a third party’s personal data is intertwined with that of the requester? Mixed data comes in many forms; for example, an email from John to a colleague saying … Continue Reading
Some DSARs can be wonderfully straightforward: “Can I have a copy of my personnel file?” “Absolutely, here you go” “Can I have a copy of the notes from my appeal hearing?” “Of course, all yours. Any time” However, a large number of DSARs submitted by employees are far more taxing: “Can I have all personal … Continue Reading
In the second of our five part blog series on Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs), we examine the notion of “complexity” and how that might affect the way you respond as an employer to a DSAR. What is “complex”? Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data controllers must respond to DSARs “without undue delay … Continue Reading
Just when we thought we were getting to grips with some of the stickier issues around Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs), then along comes the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and numerous new ambiguities over how its DSAR provisions might work in practice. We are waiting for the ICO’s guidance and update on its … Continue Reading
With a clear link between increased employee wellbeing (both in terms of physical and mental health) and reduced sickness absence, many employers may use renewed New Year ambitions to adopt or promote employee wellbeing programmes. Businesses have introduced measures including step challenges with free pedometers, fruit ‘desk drops’ and health monitoring stations in the workplace. … Continue Reading
In response to our invitation to contact us with GDPR enquiries, one kind reader has bowled us this particular googlie: Most people in business will have accumulated large contact lists in Outlook email systems or similar, containing many names and other contact details built up over a number of years. Will the GDPR really require … Continue Reading
Here are answers to two more questions arising from next year’s GDPR, this time on website recruitment and data breach notification. More to follow in this series soon. We have a contact form section on our website to allow people to submit details (name, email, phone number & CV) if they want to be informed … Continue Reading
What would count as sharing data with a third party? For example, if we are booking employees on an external training course where we would only provide their name, would this amount to sharing data with a third party? The sharing of an employee’s name with an external training provider would certainly amount to the … Continue Reading
At our recent webinar on “GDPR Compliance: How UK Employers Can Meet the 25 May 2018 Deadline” we were asked a number of questions via the chat facility. Those questions showed that with less than a year to run and much to do before then, there is still widespread uncertainty as to the detail of … Continue Reading
So there it is – in a tremendous boost for transatlantic relations, the European Court of Justice has decided that America is not to be trusted with the personal data of EU residents. That is not exactly the way the decision is phrased, of course, which (so far as relevant to UK HR) is more … Continue Reading
On 1 September 2015 new requirements relating to the storage of personal data will come into force in Russia. These changes are highly controversial, as they will require any databases used to process the personal data of Russian citizens to be physically located in Russia. When these changes were first announced it seemed they would … Continue Reading
How would you feel about your employer knowing where you are 24 hours a day? News reaches us of a claim by an employee dismissed in the US for deleting a smartphone app Xora which her management had required her to install as part of its mobile workforce management systems. Xora bills itself (with callous … Continue Reading
This is the second part of my series of posts looking at traps for the unwary when setting up a hotline for whistleblowers in your European operations. Read Part 1. Notifications and Authorisations Some EU Data Privacy Authorities, for example in France, require their prior authorisation to be sought before a hotline is implemented. Many … Continue Reading
Squire Sanders is presenting a series of webinars focussing on the key labour and employment issues in various countries throughout Europe, Asia Pacific and the United States. On 28 November 2012 at 2.00pm GMT (9.00am EST, 3.00pm CET, 6.00pm MSK), the featured country is Russia. It will focus on the protection of personal employee data … Continue Reading
Ever agonised about just how far you should go when responding to a reference request? Full disclosure and get it off your chest or go for the quiet life and issue yet another bland and useless statement of employment dates and job title? Employers providing a reference owe a duty of care both to the … Continue Reading
Organisations need to protect and preserve their intellectual assets with vigilance in the face of increasing risk of data theft and loss. Not only is there the risk of financial and reputational damage when data is lost, stolen or compromised but in the new regulatory climate, serious breaches of personal data security now attract more … Continue Reading
