HAPPY NEW YEAR! It’s time for some easy resolutions you can keep…
And ones you’ll be glad you made!
“If, at first, you don’t succeed, give up.” – Homer Jay Simpson, Sr
Doh! When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, that approach is probably not the best one to take. And, with an attitude like that, it’s probably just as well that Mr Simpson doesn’t have too much involvement with anything important.
As is often the case, resolutions tend to be for the things that you know you should be doing anyway, but haven’t quite managed to maintain. Yet again.
And yet, as long as you’re being realistic and aren’t overstretching yourself, you’ve every chance of making them work.
So forget about wheeling out the same old resolutions as last year. Forget about giving up donuts or binge-watching Netflix. And forget about giving yourself a hard time for still making resolutions you know you probably won’t stick to.
This year, be original and go for something different…
Like getting ready for GDPR on 25th May. It needn’t be challenging – especially once you know what you need to do and how to go about doing it.
So, just in case you are struggling to come up with some easy and practical GDPR-related resolutions for 2018, here are some ready-made ones for you:
#1 Use it or lose it!
Diamonds may be forever, but data doesn’t need to be. It really doesn’t, and shouldn’t be kept just for the sake of it, unless there are good reasons or legal obligations to do so – for instance, maintaining HR personnel files, or storing data for accounting purposes.
So many people feel a little *FOMO about letting go of information, and fall into the trap of holding on to it just in case they might need it in the future (keeping old CVs of candidates that you never actually employed is a typical example).
Come January, then, do some New Year housekeeping – go through everything you have and ask yourself whether you need to keep it. If you do decide to retain it, please make sure your process and rationale stand up to scrutiny.
And, if you don’t use it, then lose it responsibly (which also eliminates the risk of it ever being compromised). Take care of your data properly and your data will take care of you!
#2 Consign procrastination to the past!
Tomorrow never comes but it’ll arrive much quicker if you don’t do anything. No, that wasn’t another Homerism – we just made it up.
But time is running out to be ready for GDPR so, if you’ve not yet done it, now’s a good time to review what you need to do and get organised, particularly around the legal process for managing data and your responsibilities around compliance.
Because, by the end of May, you’ll be expected to show that you’ve already done certain things, such as having contacted all the people whose data you hold, explained why you’re using/keeping it, and received confirmation that they still consent.
Don’t miss your window of opportunity, otherwise it’ll be too late…
#3 Help make GDPR everyone’s work responsibility.
“Great! So relieved we’ve got an IT/HR/Marketing Department. We can leave GDPR to them…” Er, no. Not really.
Because there are so many touchpoints in a business where staff have access to personal information, having the right attitude to data protection is paramount.
Organisations should take a whole business approach: with leaders fully committing to it, being accountable for its delivery across the business, and actively driving the process and its roll-out throughout, so that the message filters down to all.
It really is everyone’s responsibility to get it right so setting aside some time this month to check that everyone’s got the memo will be time well spent!
Remember, successful New Year’s resolutions are all about balance and being achievable.
So, as well as your GDPR ones (which we’re more than happy to help you with), good luck with whatever else you have lined up!
And, in case you’re wondering, we’ve resolved to drink less coffee and eat more chocolate in 2018. Oh, and not mention GDPR when we’re out with family and friends.
Somehow though, we already have a funny feeling that one of those may not work out so well.
Until next time…
[*Fear of Missing Out]
