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The month of May will soon be upon us and that is the time when the new GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) will come into force. All businesses, no matter their size, will have to comply if they deal with employee personal data so, understandably, many of them are already worried about how it will impact upon their HR function.

HR responsibilities will increase

Whether companies have a fully-fledged HR Department or just one person dealing with that side of things, their obligations are going to be increased. As far as staff personal data is concerned, they will now have a right to access it or ask for it to be amended or deleted. HR departments will also need to overhaul their processes and systems as they will need to make staff aware of how long their data will be stored for and whether or not it will be shared with any other third party. At the same time, HR service providers that deal with employee data on behalf of employers will also need to pull their socks up if GDPR is not to catch them out.

At the moment, HR Departments can hold reams of data, relevant to current and former employees, as well as those looking for employment. If this is stored on paper or on computers that are openly accessed by others, this will no longer be compliant, particularly if medical or trade union records are included.

HR departments needs to 'up the ante'

GDPR will take no prisoners and those that fall foul of the rules will suffer, being hit with severe penalties and fines. The only way that this can be avoided is by HR Departments doing the following:

• Obtaining employee consent
• Being fully accountable
• Respecting employee rights

The main thing is that all HR functions will need to be taken care of with total security and privacy of personal data being considered. Whether information is stored on paper, on a computer database or within a specialise CRM system, all of the following are essential functions that will need to be attended to:

• Secure retention of data
• Easily accessible targeted information
• Displaying full transparency and accountability
• Using data for only the purpose for which permission was given

HR departments need to be proactive

So in addition to all of the above, as a UK business that deals with confidential employee data, what else should you do to get your HR Department in good running order as far as GDPR is concerned? Depending upon how many staff you have, you may wish to consider appointing a ‘GDPR Manager’ who will be fully responsible for taking care of all things related to the new regulation. It goes without saying that they will need to understand the new regulations inside-out and that ensuring your company complies will be on their head. Failure to do so will damage your reputation as well as your bank balance so the person assuming this role will need to be dedicated, detailed in their approach and proactive. Whilst this may result in you paying an additional wage, when compared to the fines that could be levied against you for breaking the rules, it is an expense worth having.

GDPR fines will fall into two categories:

1. Up to 10 million Euros or 2% of the company’s global annual turnover of the previous financial year.
2. Up to 20 million Euros or 4% of the company’s global annual turnover of the previous financial year.

How can document scanning help ensure GDPR compliance?

The Pearl Scan's document scanning service offers the perfect solution for security and manipulation of paper files. By scanning them in, we make it possible for companies to be sure that they are not breaking any rules. All personal data currently on paper should be converted to digital thus ensuring compliance, avoiding fines and providing a good ROI. Outsourcing this task will save a great deal of time and money as speed and efficiency will be ensured and your staff will not have to be removed from other tasks. For this reason, many companies are relying on Pearl Scan to assist them.

How does document scanning help with GDPR compliance?

Scanned documents can help your business to guarantee GDPR compliance due to the following:

• Data retention – Data retention is taken care of much more easily, particularly if software is used to set rules and processes. Once guidelines are in place, the software will do the rest. Even if a breach occurs you can show that you did all possible to comply and may avoid huge fines.
• Security and privacy – Why take the risk of leaving sensitive data on paper files? Easier to copy, steal, lose or destroy, it is only when digitised that they can be password protected when stored. You can even add digitally encryption for a belt-and-braces approach.

• Data Search and retrieval – Compare the time taken to access important data in a paper file and then compare it to a computer based data search and you will see why having digitised files is essential. GDPR Article 17 makes it clear that: “The data subject shall have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay and the controller shall have the obligation to erase personal data without undue delay.” Fulfilling this task manually with paper files will be a nightmare, wasting time and money. With digital files it takes just seconds. When employees ask for their right of access, right to rectification and right to restriction of processing, digital is king.
• Cost – This is an easy one as the cost taken to process paper files compared to digital is much higher due to time taken and staff deployed on specific tasks. With digital also enabling you to better avoid fines, it makes so much sense to go down this rout

Trust Pearl Scan to take care of your document scanning

When looking for a professional and reputable company to turn your paper files into digital versions, enabling you to comply far easier with GDPR, Pearl Scan are experts. For over 15 years we have been working with organisations across every sector to scan their paper. Even the most sensitive of data is converted to digital in our capable hands.

Trusted by so many businesses, make us your chosen partner to help you to work towards and maintain full GDPR compliance. Get in touch with us today to find out more about our Document Scanning Service.

There’s no denying that data is what makes the business world go around

And in a world that is reliant on technology to get everyday tasks done, businesses need to embrace digital processes – or risk being left behind, according to document scanning expert, Pearl Scan.

The company, which has assisted businesses all over the UK make the switch to a digital workplace, has warned firms that are yet to make the jump, that should they wait much longer they run the risk of being overtaken by competitors and perhaps being left at a point of no return.

Streamline management procedures with digital processing

Naveed Ashraf, Managing Director at Pearl Scan Group, said, “In a time of increasing uncertainty in the business sector as a result of the impending Referendum, and the start of a new year, now is the ideal time for businesses to start looking at their current offering, analyse what competitors are doing and look at ways they can streamline, increase production and save money to ensure they can continue to be at the top of their game.”

Moving from paper to digital offers incredible cost-savings which can then be used to fund other digital transformation initiatives, while embracing digital documents and digital document management allows files to be delivered as a hosted service on the cloud. Inevitably offering organisations the opportunity to cut down on storage costs and time wasted searching for documents, the savings seen can be company-defining.

The move towards digital has also been proven to support organisations in a number of non-monetary focussed ways. In addition to cost savings, moving towards digital processes offers organisations the opportunity to streamline management procedures and make it simpler for employees to find the information they need, when they need it, while also offering them the opportunity to deliver a better customer experience. Unlike with paper documents, customers are able to interactively engage with digital files, while companies can personalise them depending on customer preference and package purchased.

The advantages of scanning documents for a digital conversion

In an era where data breaches pose a significant risk, there has been a lot of talk about the security risks associated with digital data, resulting in companies being under an increasing amount of pressure to ensure their data, and in particular, their customer data, is secure. But digital documents offer security advantages for businesses that in this day and age are highly valued by customers. Digital documents can be protected in numerous ways, with encryption and secure networks for example, allowing companies to digitally transform while giving peace of mind to customers and enabling them to reap the benefits from day one.

“Despite security concerns, the future of business is undoubtedly cloud storage,” added Naveed. “Operating a cloud-based workplace correctly actually offers increased security for business and customers, while also bringing a myriad of other benefits, such as increased collaboration between staff, flexibility for workers and disaster proofing.”

Here in the UK we have been pretty lucky with the weather over the winter. Aside from a few frosty mornings and a few downpours, most of us have got off lightly. It’s unwise to take the weather for granted. And when you run a business, that is even more important.

So how can you make sure your business is in the best position, should disaster strike?

Eliminate or reduce paper processes

Although many organisations have embraced the paperless resolution, there are still many that rely on paper processes every single day. Not only does this affect the day to day running of a business, but it can also spell disaster should something happen – such as a flood or fire.

Switching from manual, paper documents to electronic ones is one of the best ways to make sure you don’t lose important documents and information should disaster strike.

Find out more about our document scanning services, and how they can help to transform your business.

Back up documents to the cloud

Once you’ve moved to a digital way of working, it’s time to back up your documents to a cloud-based platform, as even electronic documents are vulnerable to damage as a result of a flood or fire.

Documents that are hosted however will always be kept safe should your workplace be damaged – and what’s more, there’ll be accessible from anywhere with an internet connection!

Find out about our simple cloud-based software, Pearl Cloud.

Make it easy to access documents and software outside the office

Should bad weather mean you can’t get to the office when you desperately need an important file, contract or contact information, this can be disastrous. But using a remote access piece of software, like Teamviewer can make this a thing of the past. It allows you to access and use a computer, from another one, as if you were sat directly in front of it.

We can never be certain when disaster may strike – or if indeed it ever will. But all businesses, no matter what sector, can take steps to alleviate their risk and make sure the show can go on no matter what.

Get in touch if you would like to know more about our document scanning services and going paperless in the office.