HOT TOPICS FOR MULTINATIONAL EMPLOYERS: PRIVACY IN THE WORKPLACE, THE EU GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION, AND BREXIT -

Increasing digitalisation of the workplace means that many routine activities nowadays entail the processing of employees’ personal information. Sophisticated data management tools allow for greater efficiency and help to identify and contain business risks. What often follows is harmonisation of HR data platforms within an employer’s group of companies, seeking to deliver consistent and seamless HR management across business units and national borders.

With the growth of workplace digitalisation, employers need to ensure that their policies and procedures adapt to a growing awareness amongst the general population of privacy rights and to expanding regulatory requirements and oversight, especially in the European Union (EU). As of 25 May 2018, privacy law within the EU will be governed by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This framework updates and modernises the principles enshrined in the 20-yearold EU Data Protection Directive, and will be directly applicable in all EU Member States. Notably, the GDPR provides for an unprecedented sanctions framework, with fines of up to 4% or EUR 20 million of an undertaking, whichever is higher.