Best Practices for Tours and Activities: Workforce Data

In our GDPR series, we explore the impact that these new regulations will have on tour and activity operators.

Best Practices for Tours and Activities GDPR 2018 Series:

Part 1: GDPR and the Travel Industry

Part 2: Data Collection and Privacy

Part 3: Marketing Consent

Part 4: Marketing Lists

Part 5: Policies and Processes

Part 6: Data Retention

Part 7: Workforce Data

Part 8: Privacy by Website Design

For months, many businesses in the travel industry have been preparing their data collection processes and policies to accommodate the GDPR laws that went into effect on May 25, 2018. While it’s natural to prioritize consumer data collection and data retention policies, it’s important that tour and activity companies also evaluate their workforce data collection and retention processes.

Rezdy has been publishing an ongoing blog series on the topic of the GDPR and how it impacts tour and activity businesses. Not only will you have to remain in compliance with all of your customer data collection processes, but you also will need to adhere to regulations regarding workforce data.

What is Workforce Data?

Workforce data is defined as all personal data that you collect from your employees when you hire them or during their tenure with your company. Personal data collected may include identification information, contact information, cultural or social identification, and much more. The amount of time that you store workforce data and what you use workforce data for may be impacted by the GDPR laws that recently went into effect.

Read more: The Tour Operator’s Guide to Hiring the Best Guides and Staff

Best Practices for Workforce Data

• Begin by asking for consent to collect or retain data from your employees. You need to create a consent form in which the employee affirmatively consents to all data collection and data retention processes. It should be noted that the employee has a right to access personal information, and the employee also should be aware of what the data will be used for once it has been stored by you, their employer.
• Create a process for allowing employees to gain access to their personal data, and to correct any errors that might be present. This may be challenging for some tour and activity companies, depending on their size or their method for storing data. It may be wise to work with a data protection consultant or officer to ensure that the right process is in place to remain in compliance with GDPR.
• Implement a data cleansing policy for workforce data. Much like consumer data, it is imperative that you do not store your employee data for any longer than is necessary. Employee data that is out-of-date, specifically data related to employees who are no longer employed by your tour and activity company, should be promptly destroyed.
• Verify that all of your workforce data collection policies are fair and are being practiced in accordance to the law. Employees must be aware that their data is being collected, and they need to know that all tools being used by the employer to collect data is also in compliance with the new GDPR laws that have been designed to protect personal information online.

Workforce data is just one area in which the GDPR will likely have a big impact on your business. To learn more about the GDPR and how it will continue to change the tour and activity industry, continue following our Rezdy blog series on the topic.