Data protection in the home office for HR departments: How to effectively secure sensitive personnel data
Legal basis for data protection in the home office
Working from home has become firmly established in recent years, especially in the human resources sector.
However, this development poses special challenges for HR departments in the area of data protection. The central question here is: How can the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) be consistently implemented outside the protected office environment?
The legal framework remains clear: employers are responsible for compliance with all data protection requirements, regardless of the place of work. This includes, in particular, the principles of data processing, information obligations towards the employees concerned, ensuring the rights of data subjects and implementing comprehensive data security measures in accordance with Art. 32 GDPR. Especially when working remotely from home, there may be uncertainty as to whether the necessary technical and organisational measures are also being met under private conditions.
Typical risks for personal HR data in the home office
Personnel data is among the most sensitive information in a company and is exposed to several risks in the home office. Some typical problem areas are:
- Unauthorised access: Family members or guests could gain access to confidential documents, especially if there is no lockable work area.
- Technical security gaps: Private networks, outdated software or the use of personal devices increase the risk of cyber attacks and unauthorised data access.
- Improper handling of paper documents: Printed contracts or personnel files could be left lying around or disposed of improperly – a significant data protection risk, especially when shared waste disposal is used in apartment buildings.
- Incorrect communication: The accidental forwarding of sensitive documents to the wrong recipients or via insecure platforms can easily happen when working from home.
These risks highlight the importance of an appropriate data protection strategy when working from home – especially for HR managers who work with particularly sensitive data.
Practical measures for data protection-compliant working from home
Technical and organisational protective measures
To effectively ensure data protection in the home office, specifically tailored technical and organisational measures are required for all HR processes. The most important recommendations include:
- Binding home office guidelines: Companies should develop clear guidelines that clearly regulate the handling of sensitive HR data, reporting procedures in the event of incidents and responsibilities. Where possible, the processing of personal employee data should only be permitted in protected areas that are not accessible to the public.
- Centralised management of IT infrastructure: All devices used in the home office should be centrally managed, regularly updated and protected, for example through mobile device management. Access to HR systems should only be possible via secure VPN connections.
- Physical security in the workplace: Employees should be supported in setting up their home office, for example with lockable filing cabinets, privacy filters and guidelines for the secure storage and destruction of paper documents.
- Regular employee training: Awareness is a key factor: training on current security risks – from social engineering to phishing – helps to raise awareness of data protection in the home office.
- Implementation of control mechanisms: Documented checklists, regular self-disclosure by employees and random checks support continuous quality assurance – while naturally protecting the privacy of all employees.
- Emergency management for data protection incidents: A pre-agreed emergency plan helps to act quickly and clearly in the event of an incident.
- This includes defined communication channels and clearly regulated responsibilities in the event of a data breach.
Further recommended measures for practice
Many companies also benefit from enhanced technical protection measures and organisational guidelines to further increase the level of data protection in the home office. Examples include:
- Separation of work and private networks, especially if private IoT devices are present in the household.
- Limited use of network resources for work devices to minimise attack surfaces.
- Checking and securing all IT components before use – printers, scanners and other peripheral devices should also be checked for security.
- Protect analogue records with comparable standards to digital data – this includes the documented, secure destruction of sensitive documents.
- Update your home office policy as soon as new technical possibilities or threats arise – ongoing adaptation is essential.
With a holistic approach that takes technology, organisation and employee behaviour into account in equal measure, a high level of data protection can be guaranteed in the long term, even in the home office.
Conclusion: Data protection remains a top priority in the home office
Clear responsibilities and sustained awareness
Working from home opens up new perspectives, but requires special attention to data protection – especially in the HR department, where highly sensitive data is handled on a daily basis. Employers bear full responsibility for compliance with legal requirements and should enable their employees to handle personal data securely through clear guidelines, technical controls and regular training.
Even though the switch to remote work offers flexibility, it requires a professional approach to the risks. This is the only way companies can ensure that their employees' rights are protected at all times and that data breaches are reliably prevented.
Take action now and ensure sustainable data protection
Data protection in the home office is not a one-off task, but an ongoing process. Do you need support in implementing appropriate measures or do you have questions about specific challenges in the HR area? Our experienced team will be happy to assist you in developing individual solutions for your company. Contact us now – together we will take data protection in your company to a new level!