UK workers more likely to be given a ticking off over office chores than GDPR, according to new poll
GDPR is back in the headlines after Facebook landed themselves in hot water following a data hack last month, which leads to the question are companies taking GDPR seriously?
Well, according to new data released by office equipment specialist Fellowes recently, it doesn’t seem so. Following a poll of over 1,000 UK office workers, Fellowes found that employees were more likely to be apprehended over office chores than GDPR.
The poll revealed that 25% of UK office workers have been challenged for not emptying or loading the work dishwater, compared to just 14% for poor handling of confidential data
The survey also revealed that missing deadlines and being late (17%) would be more likely to get them in bother at work over ensuring they are compliant with GDPR.
“It’s a worrying sign that companies in the UK are more concerned about office chores than GDPR, which could cost businesses millions of pounds. One in ten workers don’t know who is responsible for GDPR within their business, and the truth is, protecting confidential data is everyone’s responsibility. It’s also troubling to see that almost one in five workers haven’t been given a concrete policy for handling GDPR. This has to change, or businesses will pay the price.”
The results from the poll, taken from June and July 2018, also found that over half (54%) had seen personal or confidential data they shouldn’t have since the new guidelines were enforced. While one-third (33%) of workers admitted leaving confidential or personal data unattended.
Another one in five (19%) workers also claimed to have left a USB lying around somewhere.
The survey was conducted by Fellowes to assess how seriously businesses and employees were taking new GDPR guidelines, which came into play in May this year.