Even before COVID-19, companies had been embracing digital solutions to help them improve business processes, automate tedious administrative functions, and better coordinate facets of their operations.
Fast forward, the global pandemic has brought unprecedented change to businesses worldwide and their employees. Many businesses have had to reevaluate how they do business while addressing health and safety concerns, and accelerating the adoption of technology to keep up with all the security and employee privacy concerns surrounding the handling and storage of personal data.
On one hand, moving paper processes to digital alternatives certainly automates a lot of the work and minimizes human error. On the other, decision makers have always scrutinized security and privacy “in the cloud,” where data sometimes isn’t completely under the company’s control.
So, what can businesses do during, and post-COVID, to ensure employee privacy and their data is protected?
Before addressing the question of how to go about formulating strict data collection and storage processes, organizations first need to clearly identify what they are allowed to collect and store, and who can access the data. Identify the regulatory bodies that govern how you handle data collection. There should already be established guidelines regarding authorized changes in the collection, storage, and access of information during the pandemic that can be closely followed.
Different privacy regulations have different rules requiring organizations to notify their employees regarding data collection—what needs to be collected and how it is meant to be used. Some regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), for instance, require employers to also explain to workers if previously collected information will be repurposed and how.
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is another privacy regulation having a big impact on businesses. GDPR guidelines direct employers to:
Businesses need to fully understand the privacy regulation requirements and guidelines under which they operate. However, as a rule of thumb, it boils down to clearly knowing what needs to be gathered and how you’ll use it.
Using privacy regulatory guidance, businesses can then formulate and standardize the strict data collection and storage processes that need to be communicated to employees:
Learn more about compliance.
The growth of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry reflects how replacing paper processes with digital solutions that securely store data in the cloud has become a successful strategy for companies to gain a competitive edge. The SaaS industry is set to become a $157 billion market by the end of 2020.
Businesses need SaaS platforms—a small ecosystem, typically—to be able to support remote workers, bolster the business processes that their functions support, and maintain efficiency in the distributed, partially home-based workplace. Beyond that, a new tech stack can be developed (or complement your existing one) with solutions that are either compliant with data privacy regulations or offer features or functionalities that make it easy to do so. SwipedOn is committed to GDPR compliance and helping customers comply with the regulations—from secure data processing to covering legal requirements.
SaaS solutions should offer robust security measures such as:
Companies also need to make their employees a priority during the pandemic by leveraging technology to enforce social distancing and assist in contact tracing efforts. Contact tracing has been demonstrated to effectively slow down the spread of an outbreak, and it signals that a company is concerned with the well-being of its employees. With SwipedOn, you can easily carry out contact tracing at the touch of a button in the web dashboard.
In the “new norm” of the global pandemic, data privacy is top of mind for employees shifting to new ways of working, especially the millions of people that are now working remotely. From a compliance standpoint, data privacy is increasingly important as COVID-19 measures like temperature checks and even antibody testing fall under the collection of medical information, which should remain confidential between employer and employee; and processed in a manner clearly communicated and agreed upon between both parties under the guidance of applicable privacy regulations.
The more pressing concern is what happens during emergencies or COVID-19 positive cases.
Businesses must be diligent in implementing a communications plan for the most dire situations.
Take note of some best practices:
To learn how contactless solutions can keep your employees and visitors safe and healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, take SwipedOn’s visitor management system for a free 14-day trial.