7 Surprising Facts HR Pros Should Know About the GDPR

by Jennifer Ma, April 24, 2018

Are you ready for May 25, 2018? This is when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — a comprehensive European data protection law that provides enhanced rights for individuals to control their data — will enter into force.

If you have European operations, European candidates applying for jobs, and/or European employees, the GDPR will apply. Your organization will also be impacted by the GDPR if you offer goods and services to, or monitor the behavior of, people in Europe.
As a comprehensive law that is designed to give Europeans more control over their personal data, the GDPR contains significant requirements. It also contains some nuances that may surprise you. For example, did you know that you are not always required to obtain consent to collect employee data under the GDPR? Or that some business-related information may qualify as personal data?
Here are seven important facts about the new law that may surprise you.