Serving the Teesside Business Community | 57
Elaine McLaine-Wood – managing partner of
Tees law firm Punch Robson Solicitors.
GDPR – Elaine McLaine-Wood
is saying it’s still important for
businesses to be GDPR compliant.
which should be shared and transparent.”
The maximum fine for a breach of GDPR
is 4% of the company’s annual turnover
or 20 million euros, which underlines the
seriousness of these laws.
“With the penalties being so severe, it’s
vital that record keeping is exact in case
you’re ever investigated. Everyone has to
buy into GDPR, not just the bosses and
owners of the organisations. All employees
should understand the issues.”
Another change is the onus on
organisations to self-report any breaches
to the Information Commissioner’s Office
(ICO).
“You need to know what you should
report and if in doubt, get advice. If you’re
a regulated industry, such as a law firm or
doctor’s practice, you may have a duty to
report the breach to the Law Society or
General Medical Council, as well as to the
ICO.”
Additional guidance is continually being
issued by the ICO, while there are also
ongoing uncertainties, such as the impact
of Brexit and the potential overlapping of
competing data protection regimes.
“Businesses need to be alert and
the message is to invest in continued
compliance,” says Elaine. “It’s about
continually keeping abreast of the latest
information and ongoing staff training.
“Perhaps you could delegate someone
to keep up to speed with developments
and then the rest of the staff can focus on
their daily duties. It might be wise to have
an annual review of your policies and terms
and conditions and if there are any senior
staff changes, make sure the new person
understands the importance of GDPR
within your organisation.
“A lot of it is just good practice. But if
people have taken their eye off the ball, they
need to be looking at it again.
“So far, more larger companies have
been investigated than smaller ones. But
it’s still important for smaller companies
to comply because all it takes is one
disgruntled employee or customer to make
a complaint and it could be extremely costly
for your business.”
Punch Robson was established in 1877
and has offices in Ingleby Barwick and
Coulby Newham.
For more information, call 01642
754050 or visit punchrobson.co.uk.