How will GDPR affect me?

The new General Data Protection Regulation is designed to protect personal information and prevent unauthorised use, but what does it mean to you? If you work for a large employer, their IT department is probably busy at work, getting ready for the GDPR and making sure their systems are up to date. But you also need to know how GDPR will impact you, and there is no better time to start learning about it.

The most significant impact of GDPR will probably be how you do your job. If you handle personal data as part of your job, you will need to know how the new regulations will affect you. Chances are your employer will schedule, or has already scheduled, a training session to discuss their new policies and procedures, and you will need to pay close attention to the information you receive.

The GDPR will impact the way you do your job, but the new law also provides important protections for you. In particular, the GDPR places specific rules and restrictions on how your employer collects personal data related to you and your job, and how it stores that information.

With the GDPR implemented, individuals, including employees, have the right to be informed about how their personal data is used and processed. Once again, your employer should provide you with information about GDPR and how it impacts you. If you do not see this information, ask your employer about it.

As an employee and an individual, you have substantial rights under the GDPR, starting with the right to ask questions about how your personal data is collected and used. You have the right, for instance, to know who controls your personal data, for instance your employer, third parties, data processors, etc.

Once the GDPR goes into effect, you will also have a right to inquire about any changes to your contract, as well as any updates and additions to the company handbook and the processing of their personal data. One of the goals of GDPR is to provide individuals with greater transparency, as these updates will reflect.

The GDPR will also make it easier for you to find out about the purpose of data collection, e.g. what the organisation is trying to achieve. Are they collecting the information just because they can, or does the data they are gathering have a legitimate business use?

Under the GDPR, employees also have a right to know about the third parties who will ultimately receive their personal data, including payroll providers and other outside entities. Most importantly, you have a right to know when data gets transferred to entities outside the EU, where different rules may apply.

The rules governing data usage under the GDPR may seem arcane, and it is easy to ignore their implications. Even so, it is essential to be aware of them and how they may impact you and your career. GDPR is coming, and now is the perfect time to learn about how it will affect you and the organisation for which you work.