timeware® takes General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) very seriously
GDPR affects every business in the UK. timeware’s customisable GDPR controls ensure companies work within their own data protection rules.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) is a regulation by which the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission intend to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU).
What does this mean for a company using timeware® time and attendance software?
Customer care will organise a meeting where a timeware® technician will discuss your company's GDPR policy with your GDPR data controller.
This meeting will cover two main areas:
The way in which timeware® (UK) Ltd handles your company data which in turn will impact on the way our support team provides certain types of service.
For example, your business may require that timeware® never removes personal data from site. This information must be recorded against your SLA notes to ensure we do not create an environment where a personal data breach could occur.
The processing of personal data stored within the timeware® application. We will identify any personal information fields within timeware® that do not need to be recorded and take steps to ensure that they are made invisible.
We will also discuss how long certain information needs to be kept by the company for people classed as employed or as a leaver. We will then create a series of GDPR housekeeping scripts that will ensure these rules are upheld.
Please note that the timeware® software will never automatically delete any personal data. We think it is much safer that timeware® operates within your data controller's policies and highlights data that requires deletion. This will always be completed by your data controller and is fully audited.
Some example GDPR housekeeping scripts:
If timeware® is not being using as the primary HR system do not allow address information to be recorded.
If timeware® is not being using as the primary HR system do not allow National Insurance data to be recorded.
When an employee leaves the company, remove their biometric data within 24 hours.
When an employee leaves the company, remove all records of their future holidays and medical appointments within 24 hours.
When an employee leaves the company, delete all passwords to the timeware® app and disable the employee's ESS GO app within 24 hours.
When an employee has left the company and after the statutory period, remove all attendance and absence information and personal data.
Working Time Regulations (WTR)
Why do we have working time regulations?
This legislation was introduced to help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance by limiting the hours that they had to work each week and ensuring that adequate breaks are taken on a daily and weekly basis. The health and safety benefits to both the employee and employer are obvious: A healthy workforce is more productive and less likely to take days off sick.
Remember that some categories of work or job role are exempt from the regulations, including the police, armed forces, emergency services staff when dealing with an emergency and sometimes senior managers and people employed by family members.
The 48-hour working week
In the UK we allow workers to opt out of the 48 hour working week limit. Quite often than not, the employer and or employees think that opting out means they are opting out of the whole regulation. This is not the case they are only opting out of the total hours limit which is currently set at 48 hours.
The working time regulations apply to the majority of employees in almost every business in the UK and it was this fact that encouraged us to re-develop the WTR into a core feature for 2020.