Data Protection Policy
Data Protection Policy
Context and overview
Key details
Approved by Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co Ltd on 25/5/18
Policy became operational on 25/5/18
Next review date 25/5/21
Introduction
Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd needs to gather and use certain information about individuals.
These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees and other people the organisation has a relationship with or may need to contact.
This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards – and to comply with the law.
Why this policy exists
This data protection policy ensures Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd:
- Complies with data protection law and follow good practice
- Protects the rights of staff, customers and partners
- Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data
- Protects itself from the risks of a data breach
Data protection law
The data protection act 1998 describes how organisation – including Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd – must collect, handle and store personal information and in line with GDPR regulations.
These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials.
To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully.
The data protection act is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:
- Be processed fairly and lawfully and with consent
- Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes
- Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Be accurate and kept up to date
- Not be held for any longer than necessary
- Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects and consent
- Be protected in appropriate ways
- The right of amendment and removal in line with GDPR
People, risks and responsibilities
Policy scope
This policy applies to:
- The head office of Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd
- All branches of Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd
- All staff and volunteers of Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd
- All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd
It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the data protection act 1998. This can include:
- Names of individuals
- Postal addresses
- Email addresses
- Telephone numbers
- …plus any other information relating to individuals
Data protection risks
This policy helps to protect Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd from some very real data security risks, including:
- Breaches of confidentiality. For instance, information being given out inappropriately.
- Failing to offer choice. For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses data relating to them.
- Reputational damage. For instance, the company could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data.
Responsibilities
Everyone who works for or with Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately.
Each team that handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and GDPR data protection principles.
However, these people have key areas of responsibility:
The Managing Director and Senior Management are ultimately responsible for ensuring that Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd meets its legal obligations.
The GDPR department is responsible for:
- Keeping the relevant people updated about data protection responsibilities, risks and issues.
- Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies, in line with an agreed schedule
- Arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy
- Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd holds about them (also called ‘subject access requests’).
- Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company’s sensitive data.
The IT manager is responsible for:
- Ensuring all systems, services and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards.
- Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly.
- Evaluating any third party services the company is considering using to store or process data. For instance, cloud computing services.
- Obtaining external support when required.
The marketing manager is responsible for:
- Approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters.
- Addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers.
- Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles.
The HR Manager is responsible for:
- Handling data protection questions from staff
- Keeping staff records secure and backed up in line with GDPR policies.
General staff guidelines
- The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work.
- Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, employees can request it from their line managers.
- Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd will provide training to all employees to help them understand their responsibilities when handling data.
- Employees should keep all data secure, by taking sensible precautions and following the guidelines below.
- In particular, strong passwords must be used and they should never be shared.
- Personal data should not be disclosed to unauthorised people, either within the company or externally.
- Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of in line with GDPR.
- Employees should request help from their line manager or the IT manager if they are unsure about any aspect of data protection.
Data storage
These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT manager.
When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised people cannot see it.
These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:
- When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet.
- Employees should make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorised people could see them, like on a printer.
- Customer personal data should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required.
When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorised access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:
- Data should be protected by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees.
- If data is stored on removable media (like a CD or DVD or USB), these should be kept locked away securely when not being used.
- Data should only be stored on designated drives and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing services.
- Servers containing personal data should be stored in a locked server room, away from general office space.
- Data should be backed up frequently. Those backups should be tested regularly, in line with the company’s standard backup procedures.
- Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets or smart phones.
- All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software and a firewall.
Data use
Personal data is of no value to Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption or theft:
- When working with personal data, employees should ensure the screens of their computers are always locked when left unattended (use timed screensavers or windows training)
- Personal data should not be shared informally. In particular, it should never be sent by email, as this form of communication is not secure.
- Data must be encrypted before being transferred electronically. The IT manager can explain how to send data to authorised external contacts.
- Personal data should never be transferred outside of the European economic area.
- Employees should not save copies of personal data to their own computers. Always access and update the central copy of any data.
Data accuracy
The law requires Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd to take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate and up to date.
The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd should put into ensuring its accuracy.
It is the responsibility of all employees who work with data to take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up to date as possible.
- Data will be held in as few places as necessary. Staff should not create any unnecessary additional data sets.
- Staff should take every opportunity to ensure data is updated. For instance, by confirming a customer’s details when they call.
- Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd will make it easy for data subjects to update the information Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd holds about them. For instance, via the company website.
- Data should be updated as inaccuracies are discovered. For instance, if a customer can no longer be reached on their stored telephone number, it should be removed from the database.
- It is the marketing manager’s responsibility to ensure marketing databases are checked against industry suppression files every six months.
Subject access requests
All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd are entitled to:
- Ask what information the company holds about them and why
- Ask how to gain access to it
- Be informed how to keep it up to date
- Be informed how the company is meeting its data protection obligations
If an individual contacts the company requesting this information, this is called a subject access request.
Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, addressed to the GDPR department at GDPR.DEP@ultimatehb.co.uk
Individuals cannot be charged for requesting to access their data, unless they request large amounts of data, in which case a small charge can be applied. The GDPR department will aim to provide the relevant data within 30 days.
The GDPR department will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.
Disclosing data for other reasons
In certain circumstances, the data protection act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject.
Under these circumstances, Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd will disclose requested data. However, the GDPR department will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the MD and from the company’s legal advisers where necessary.
The right to erasure
Under Article 17 of the GDPR individuals have the right to have personal data erased. This is also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. The right is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances.
Providing information
Ultimate Hair & Beauty Co. Ltd aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their data is being processed, and that they understand:
- How the data is being used
- How to exercise their rights
- The right to object
To these ends, the company has a privacy statement, setting out how data relating to individuals is used by the company.
[This is available on request. A version of this statement is also available on the company’s website Privacy, Cookies & Security.