With the current coronavirus pandemic, working from home and hybrid working have become more common than ever. Those working from home may face different challenges than if they were in the office, particularly in regards to data protection and GDPR. Read on below to find out more about the pros and cons of working from home for employers.
Understand The Work From Home Policy
It is important that your employees understand the current work from home policy, so as to maintain best practice when not in the office. This should mirror your business’ office policies and will help employees to stay efficient and on track when at home, although alterations may have to be made to suit home working. It will also ensure that your employees are adhering to current GDPR standards. You should ensure that your employees are trained well on GDPR practices and that this training is kept updated throughout their career, especially if any changes have to be made to allow for home working.
Keeping Records at Home
When working from home, documentation should be filed appropriately as it would in the office. This means keeping records neat, in order, and disposing of any documents with personal data immediately after use. Employees should be taught how to shred documents at home, although it is worth pointing out that shredding documents at home may be riskier as you can't monitor this as easily.
GDPR at Home
When in the office, it is essential that all staff members are aware of your GDPR procedures; including the safe disposal of sensitive data. This policy should be adhered to at all times, otherwise, the business could face serious repercussions. One of the disadvantages of working from home for employers is that you may not be able to monitor whether your staff are following GDPR procedures, however, there are some things you can do to improve the situation. For example, secure keypad payments are now available to protect customers when paying for products via phone.
As long as your employees have a clear understanding of both the office and the work from home policy, and how best to adhere to GDPR policies, it should be up to their personal preference as to which working style each individual prefers. It is essential that business owners have policies in place to allow employees to follow GDPR best practices, such as shredding bags that they can use for their sensitive data. This is up to the employer to work out and they should provide any training or materials needed for this.
Shredding services could also collect documents from homeworkers. For more information on professional shredding services and home working, please contact Hungry Shredder today.
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