Is Your HR Department Ready for What's Coming? 

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, employee data security has become a critical concern for businesses across the globe. With the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies are legally obliged to implement robust measures to secure personal data, including that of their employees. However, despite these regulations, there are growing concerns about whether companies are genuinely prioritizing the protection, encryption, and safekeeping of personal data.

Are We Really Compliant with GDPR?

GDPR mandates that organizations must protect personal data from breaches and unauthorized access, but compliance is not just a checkbox exercise. It requires a comprehensive approach to data security. While companies often focus on external threats, internal processes can be just as vulnerable, if not more so. Consider the following common practices in many organizations:

• Excel Sheets with Personal Data: How often are Excel sheets with sensitive employee data, such as salary information, additional benefits, and performance reviews, circulated via email or stored on shared drives without proper encryption or access controls? These sheets can easily fall into the wrong hands, leading to potential breaches.

• Emails for Days Off and Sick Leaves: When employees email their managers about days off or forward sick leave documents, are these communications secure? Is there a risk of unauthorized access to these personal records?

• Onboarding and Access Control: Do you use spreadsheets to manage new employee onboarding, including who has access to specific systems and what assets have been distributed to whom? If these files are not adequately protected, they could be exploited, exposing both personal and company-sensitive information.

• Up-to-Date Employee Data: Keeping employee data up to date is crucial, yet many companies rely on emails or manual processes to update this information. This approach is neither secure nor efficient, and often results in outdated or inaccurate employee records. Companies need a process-driven and fully secured method for updating employee data instead of relying on unsecured emails or remaining with incomplete or outdated information.

• Recruitment Processes: Are your recruitment processes truly GDPR-compliant? The handling of personal data for potential employees is often done through emails, Excel sheets, or shared folders. Storing, sharing, and processing this data internally without appropriate security measures can lead to serious compliance breaches. How would your company fare if a regulatory authority conducted a compliance check? HR departments, and particularly HR Managers, are at risk if these processes are not securely managed and GDPR-backed.

• Health and Safety Compliance: Health and safety instructions often require regular updates and signatures, and these records may contain personal data. Where is this data stored, and is it secure? Are companies regularly auditing these processes to ensure they remain compliant?

The Gaps in Current Practices

These examples raise a critical question: Are companies truly doing enough to secure employee data? Many organizations still rely on outdated methods—such as unencrypted spreadsheets, unsecured emails, and decentralized storage systems—that do not meet the rigorous standards of GDPR compliance. These gaps in current practices not only pose risks to personal data but also expose companies to significant legal and financial penalties.

What If a Regulatory Authority Conducts a Compliance Check?

Imagine a scenario where a regulatory authority decides to audit your company’s GDPR compliance. Are your HR data management processes strong enough to withstand scrutiny? If your employee data, including personal data of potential hires or existing employees, is not securely managed and is found in unsecured formats like emails or unencrypted Excel files, your organization could face severe consequences. HR departments, especially HR Managers in charge, are at real risk of such breaches and their associated penalties.

Time for a Paradigm Shift in HR Data Management

HR managers and general managers must rethink their approach to data protection. The need for more secure, centralized, and compliant systems has never been more urgent. Instead of relying on potentially insecure spreadsheets and email exchanges, companies should look towards software solutions that offer robust data protection and encryption.

The Solution: Secure, Cloud-Based HR Management Systems

The future of HR tech lies in adopting secure, cloud-based software solutions that are designed to handle the complexities of employee data management. Such systems provide a high level of security, including advanced encryption, access control, and regular audits to ensure compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations. By moving to a cloud-based environment, companies can centralize their HR processes, minimize the risk of data breaches, and ensure that all employee data is handled securely and in compliance with legal requirements.

Why Choose Intertaxer?

If you are an HR professional or a business leader looking to enhance the security of your employee data and ensure full compliance with GDPR, Intertaxer offers comprehensive HR solutions. Covering over 20 HR management business processes, Intertaxer provides a fully compliant, secure, and efficient way to manage employee data, from onboarding to benefits management to health and safety compliance, as well as maintaining up-to-date employee records securely.

Take Action Today! Safeguard your employee data, ensure GDPR compliance, and protect your company from potential data breaches. Reach out to Intertaxer to learn how our advanced HR solutions can help your business stay secure and compliant in today's digital age.