While employee training has always been an important aspect of compliance for data protection, the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May of 2018 has made employee training even more critical. Through the GDPR, Europe is now covered by the world's most stringent data protection policies as the regulation is designed to modernize and enforce laws that protect the personal information of individuals.
Before GDPR, the previous data protection rules across Europe were established during the 1990s and could not keep pace with rapid technological advancements. GDPR changes the ways in which businesses and public sector organizations can manage their customer information. It also enhances the rights of individuals and provides them with more control over their own information.
The Importance of Staff Training for GDPR
While staff training is a critical part of an organization’s GDPR enforcement, it is often seen as the most under-emphasized part of GDPR preparedness. Many companies have updated their policies, security, and customer consent processes, but have done very little in terms of training their staff on the requirements of GDPR. Guidance from data protection authorities emphasizes the need for creating staff awareness of the Regulation and for organizations to integrate this into their compliance efforts. Without effective staff awareness planning, your company runs the risk of breaching the Regulation, which can result in significant penalties.
Three Tips for Implementing Effective GDPR Training for Your Staff
Thorough planning is essential for the introduction of a successful GDPR staff training program. Give that, here are three ideas to keep in mind as you build your training program.
Identify Critical Areas for Improvement
GDPR objectives could include cost reduction, minimizing the risk of data breaches, and protecting and enhancing your organization’s reputation. In all cases, It is essential to build targeted staff awareness initiatives that address your critical business objectives to drive your awareness program and engage your employees.
Create Engaging Content
Creating and sharing engaging training materials is essential to the success of your program. Figure out what your staff is likely to respond to and incorporate these elements. Many companies have had by “gamifying” their program and offering rewards for success.
Schedule Ongoing Training at Regular Intervals
Staff awareness programs should provide an ongoing process that begins with introduction and is reinforced at regular time intervals. Training should also be revisited any time a staff-related data protection breach occurs.
The Benefits of eLearning for GDPR Training Courses
In recent years, as online technologies have continued to evolve, online learning or “eLearning” has emerged as a cornerstone for GDPR training.
Some of the benefits of including eLearning as part of your staff GDPR training include:
Cost-Effectiveness
eLearning reduces or even eliminates many of the costs associated with in-person, classroom-based training, such as travel, venue fees, catering, instructor fees, and the distribution of printed materials.
Convenience
Unlike classroom-based training, eLearning allows your staff to conduct their GDPR training activities at a time and location that is convenient for them. All that is required is an Internet connection, and many eLearning activities can even be accomplished offline. And with eLearning, there is no need to pull your staff away from their job duties as they can conduct their training activities after hours.
Self-Paced
One of the challenges with classroom-based training is that your students need to be able to keep up the learning pace set by the instructor. With eLearning, students can learn at their own pace and can choose to revisit important or challenging materials before moving on to the next section.
Communication and Collaboration
Many eLearning platforms include powerful tools for online communication among students and between students and instructors. The platforms can help support and drive the learning process while providing a method for collecting valuable feedback.
Measurement
With eLearning, it is easy to collect data regarding the use and success of your GDPR training program. The analysis of this data can then be leveraged as you work to revise and improve your GDPR training courses over time.
LMS Portals for GDPR Training Courses
LMS Portals provides a cloud-based platform for building and delivering your GDPR training courses. Our system allows you to build your own branded eLearning portal and includes powerful tools for communication, data collection and analysis, knowledge management, and more.
Build your own GDPR training courses or let us build them for you.
Contact us to discuss a customized GDPR Training Courses and an
eLearning portal for your organization.
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