Many countries have introduced digital privacy laws that affect how businesses handle personal data. Here’s what payroll professionals need to know.
In the past decade, there has been a wave of data privacy laws introduced around the world. These rules are primarily intended to give individuals more control over their data but they also have implications for multinational companies.
Data privacy is a high-stakes issue that payroll and HR must stay on top of, as they handle sensitive personal data of employees. The legislation landscape is continuously changing, so working with a global payroll provider can ease some of the worry in staying compliant.
Payroll and HR need to work closely with their in-house legal and IT teams to ensure compliance in all countries in which the company operates. Companies of a certain size or who work with a lot of personal data from customers might have a Data Privacy Officer who leads on this, but smaller organisations might make data privacy governance a team effort.
But remote and flexible work remain important to employees. Studies have shown that workers are more productive and happier when they have flexibility in their work location. And other studies have shown that international hiring helps make workforces more resilient and diverse. For payroll and HR leaders at midsize companies, there’s an opportunity to advocate for a hybrid, global hiring strategy to make your company more competitive, agile and attractive to top talent. It may sound ambitious, but with the right global payroll partner, it’s never been easier to activate a truly global workforce driven by flexibility.