Remote Working for Business

Covid-10, (or Coronavirus), is making its way around the globe and everyone is putting coping mechanisms in place: governments, people, and businesses. Perhaps the biggest impact, and lasting impact, will be the working practices that are being put in place to minimise contact with other people, reducing the chance of catching the bug yourself and then passing it on to others – Working from Home.

I remember being told once that the two most expensive components of running a business are head count and floor space. Given the current climate, that Covid-19 is still spreading and it’s still likely to get worse before it starts getting better, home and remote working procedures are most likely going to be in effect for the next two to three months, but what happens after that?

If a company can continue operating for that long with key personnel working from home, it would beg the question ‘can we continue to work this way?’ Rent is a huge overhead, and bringing it down 50% could be an enormous saving; once the infrastructure is in place and the working procedures are set out, what are the advantages to reverting and bringing everyone back to the office?

Key Considerations for Remote Working

Communication, both internal and external. Home working protocols should have little to no impact on how customer contact you; any disruption to channels of communication (however understandable they may be) will give existing customers a poorer experience and will make it harder for potential new contacts to speak with the right person.

Efficiency, managing and sharing workloads quickly and effectively, giving those home workers the resources to do their job remotely with the same speed and consistency they would do at the office. This will mean access to systems and data, and the ability to share those systems and data with other members of the team through the internet.

Oversight, managing staff is a delicate art; understanding, motivation, encouragement, discipline, example, coaching. All these things (and many more) are things a leader has to give their team, but how do you get the best out of your team if you don’t see them? How can you be sure that they are motivated and doing their jobs to the standard you’ve set?

How indeed… That’s a tough one for home working; but with strong communication and efficient home working systems, managing a team of people remotely can be easily achieved.

Security, and here is the main point of the article, data security. I’ve spoken with a lot of people about the remote working procedures they are putting in place and always the main concern, the main question ‘Will it be GDPR compliant?’

Compliance with data protection law surrounding security measures and working practices is not black and white. The regulator can judge your organisation on its own specific approach to data security and the priority you attach to it, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ to data security which means the way we work from home will probably differ to they way you do; but the fundamentals are the same.

You must remain in control of the data; if an employee working from home were to quit, or if their house was burglarised and their computer stolen, what is the level of risk that presents, both to the individuals whose personal data was on the machine, and the risk to the company?

For people working from home – Consider some basics

Is the location secure, keep machines out of site and possibly locked up and night and when unattended.

Is the system secure, ensure all home/mobile equipment has appropriate security software

Is the system up to date, make sure that security software updates are being installed and that the data they are accessing is synchronised with other members of their team

Is the data secure, check that unauthorised persons won’t have access to company data; setting up users to work from home computers that are shared by family members for example is a poor practice.

Are you in control, f there was a problem, are you in control of the remote system and the data on it? Can you revoke access, disable accounts, remove data, etc…

In conclusion, I would suggest home working practices are progressive; but like any other aspect of running a business it must be managed properly. Remember that whilst your staff are working from home, that then becomes an extension of your business and you are responsible for what happens there.

If you need any help assessing or updating your Covid-19 response procedures, home working practices, or data security compliance in general, call Ametros Group and our team of DPOs will be able to help.

Are you in control of the data that was on that device?

Having staff working from home could be something companies look to invest in more, not only for cost saving but because it’s greener, less commuting, less fuel being burnt, less emissions. Climate change is something more businesses are taking notice of and reducing greenhouse gas emissions or becoming ‘carbon neutral’ is something the business world is keen to promote.

During the current situation with Covid-19 I would recommend that the authorities would be quite understanding of companies that are putting remote working procedures in place, but the ICO will still hold businesses accountable for their practices.

If your home working systems are poorly considered and do not have proper security controls, it could result in enforcement actions. Remember that the principal of Accountability means you are responsible for all of the data you process.

About Ametros Group

Ametros Group is a multi-award winning data privacy outsourcing provider. The company helps organisations to comply with various data privacy laws including EU GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 through consultancy, compliance framework implementation, auditing, Data Protection Officer outsourcing and EU/UK Representative services. Established in 2015, our multi-award winning team of data privacy experts have worked with FTSE100, Fortune500 and SMEs to deliver data protection excellence around the globe.

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