Are You Compliant? eLearning Can Prepare You For GDPR
With less than 4 months to go until the new EU data regulations come into effect, you should know the answer to this question. If you’re unsure how prepared you are, you’re not alone...
Recent research by Veritas shows that nearly half the organizations are concerned that they won’t meet the new requirements. But don’t panic. There’s still time to get ready for GDPR, and we’re here to help.
What Is GDPR?
Put simply, GDPR—the General Data Protection Regulation—is the new legislation governing the personal and sensitive data of individuals from the EU. This means that any organization processing any personal data connected with EU citizens needs to meet the new regulations.
How Will It Affect My Organization?
If your organization processes personal data, then you’ll need to prepare. Individuals will have greater rights over their data, and you’ll need to be able to prove that you have the right processes and procedures in place. Remember, the regulations don’t only apply to IT teams. Anyone within your organization that has access to personal data needs to know about the changes. Find out more in our recent article on avoiding common GDPR mistakes.
These include:
- Lack of awareness of basic data protection
- Knowing your responsibilities
- Understanding individuals’ rights
The process of supplying personal data back to the individual needs to be shared and understood by the team controlling the data. Equally, when obtaining personal data, privacy policies need to be reviewed to ensure they are more thorough when GDPR comes into force. Alongside GDPR, The Freedom of Information Act places additional burdens of disclosure on public sector organizations and employees in these institutions will again require additional training.
What If I Don’t Comply?
Maximum fines are being increased under GDPR, and penalties will have an upper limit of €20 million or 4% or annual global turnover, whichever is higher. Recent research suggests that this would put up to 18% of businesses at risk of insolvency.
What Steps Should I Take Now?
The most important step to take is to raise awareness across your organization. A 2017 survey of 1000 office workers suggested that nearly half were unaware of the changes that GDPR will bring. Telling your staff about the implications of GDPR is essential. The best way to do this? Compliance training.
How Can eLearning Help?
We know how difficult it can be to reach your employees, especially about new regulations and their impact on your business. And GDPR training needs to include all staff who process personal data. Getting these people into a room at the same time, and testing their understanding, can be a hard task. To add to the confusion, the rules for processing data for marketing purposes—the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations—are also changing. This means that GDPR training is unlikely to be a one-off activity.
Using a GDPR eLearning course helps to solve these issues. The training gives you the certainty that all the relevant staff participated in training, and you’ll be able to test their understanding of how their roles might be impacted.
At the same time, you’ll also be able to demonstrate that you’ve provided training on all aspects of the legislation, including any updates—an important part of your compliance. Crucially, eLearning can help you keep your staff up to date with any changes to company policies, procedures, or approaches driven by GDPR.
Focus On The Positive
While GDPR definitely will mean significant changes for many organizations, it can also drive improvements. Demonstrating your compliance will enhance the company image with your clients and staff. Having a better understanding of the data you hold will give you better insights into your customer base. Reviewing your approaches could mean an improvement in your current systems and processes. And rolling out GDPR training can enhance communications across your organization. So, don’t be daunted by the task. If you are not already well advanced, start your GDPR preparations today!
EssentialSkillz has developed a GDPR eLearning Course to help you get up to speed. Get in touch to find out more. If you feel you are behind the curve with your preparations, then support is available from a number of specialist consulting firms like Moore Stephens have teams who can help advise and audit your preparation activity.
