If you've been reading our blogs for a while, you'll know that we had previously wrote about the things that staff take home from your workplace, such as teabags, toilet rolls and lightbulbs, amongst other things. We know, it's odd to say the least.
But aside the concerns this may raise (not to mention the dent in your consumables budget), there is now a much greater risk that employers should be aware of.
64% of UK workers admitted to breaching rules by forwarding work emails to their personal email accounts in the months following the introduction of GDPR, which leaves employers at risk of fines under the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR).
The mere act of sending a work email which contains client data to an email address outside of a secure network is a huge risk. GDPR breach fines can run into six figure sums, not to mention the potential damage to the business reputation and client relationships.
Much like Hillary Clinton 😉, in most cases, there will be no bad intention behind someone forwarding an email home, it’ll likely be a conscientious individual wanting to catch up on, or finish a piece of work out of hours.
You need to be aware that this may be happening in your own business and take steps to prevent it. A quick reminder about the data protection rules and some refresher training to highlight the issues that can be created could be really helpful to your team and protect your business.
If you need any guidance on handling these sort of issues now or in the future, then reach out to us at hello@peakhr.co.uk and we'll be happy to discuss the situation and support you in managing things in the right way to protect your business.
Please note our blog posts contain general information and are intended as guidance only and should not be taken as an authoritative or current interpretation of the law. Please ensure that you obtain advice tailored to your individual situation before taking action. These posts apply to the UK only.