The impact of GDPR on HR data

Plans for new data protection rules in the UK were confirmed in the Queen's Speech last month, with the aim of giving individuals more control over their personal data - replacing the existing Data Protection Act of 1998.

The new rules complement incoming EU legislation, the General Data Protection Regulation which comes into force in 2018.

Often, the responsibility of data protection falls incumbent on the IT department. In addition, many organisations either don't have formal accountability for privacy or include it within general legal or compliance teams. 

However, if organisations fail to prepare for incoming legislation the potential fines for data breaches could be €20,000,000 or four per cent of global turnover - whichever is greater.