Employers Guide to Ensuring Remote Work Data Protection

Hiring remote workers in emerging markets has become increasingly popular among employers, as it can offer a more cost-effective and versatile solution to carrying out certain operations, notably in IT, back-office, and customer service. However, it is not uncommon for employers to overlook the importance of ensuring remote work data protection.

For example, If a remote employee or freelancer were to disappear with your source code or some of your confidential product data without the right contracts being in place, it would be virtually impossible to remedy the situation. Luckily, there are some solutions and this article will serve as your guide to ensuring remote work data protection for your remote employees.

Make use of efficient data protection services 

The most common tools and services for ensuring remote work data protection

Data protection is how a business creates a secure remote work environment that protects sensitive data and fosters employee trust in the employer. Sensitive data refers to anything considered to be private by a company, from employee personnel files to financial records, and even corporate documentation.

Several tools can be used to ensure that data shared remotely is kept encrypted to avoid potential privacy breaches. Keep in mind, however, that data protection is an ongoing process which requires continuous monitoring and adaptation to evolving threats:

• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): Encrypt data transmission between remote devices and company servers.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Requires a second verification code for logging into company networks to add an additional layer of security.
• Endpoint security software: Protects personal devices used for work from malware and unauthorized access.
• Data encryption: Encrypt sensitive data on devices and in transit to minimize repercussions from data breaches
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Software can restrict unauthorized data transfers or copying of files
• Secure Cloud Storage: Authorized cloud storage platforms allow for virtual storage of data and files on a shared network with access controls in place to limit physical storage.

Best practices for ensuring efficient data protection for remote workers

Are you the employer of remote employees or do you have a remote hub set up in an emerging market? Then there are some additional considerations and best practices that you should implement beyond data protection software for ensuring remote work data protection:

1. Provide your employees with company-issued devices instead of allowing them to work on their personal devices. This allows you to maintain control over security settings and software updates, as well as properly monitor that device usage is compliant with your privacy policies.
2. Reduce the use of physical work-related documents by employees and advise remote workers on how to keep physical documents and devices secure in their workspaces. 
3. Have an Incident Response Plan ready as a protocol to follow for identifying, reporting, and containing data security incidents.
4. Consider starting a remote hub for your remote team. This will provide a physical location for work activities which can be more easily monitored to ensure efficient data protection.

Company policies regarding remote work data protection

Establish strong data protection training programs for your remote employees

Ensuring remote work data protection is an ongoing effort. The first step is making use of efficient tools and strategies, however, one of the key measures that you should take as an employer is establishing thorough training programs for your remote teams. These programs should be developed in conjunction with your IT security and Human Resources teams.

Employee training on this matter should aim to educate remote workers on data handling best practices, how to recognize phishing scams, and password management best practices. The training should also serve as an opportunity to establish company guidelines for acceptable use of devices, data storage, and authorized remote access procedures.

It is common for employers to find ways to continuously improve these training practices to ensure that employees have the most up-to-date information. For example, you could require that data protection training be repeated periodically to ensure the information stays current or implement ad-hoc training when new security issues or measures are implemented.

Implement mandatory privacy measures for remote work data protection

Another key data protection practice for employers hiring remote workers is to implement mandatory privacy measures. Generally, these will be included in the employee contract as an appendix as legally binding policy:

• Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA): These agreements are signed by employees and act as a legal agreement on what data cannot be shared, discussed, or revealed to unauthorized external parties, and the penalties for breaching the agreement. These should be established in coordination with a legal expert to ensure they are thorough. 
• Confidentiality clauses: These are added to the contract to determine what is considered confidential or proprietary for the employer. These clauses can also include a policy for the return of company property upon the end of employment.
• Non-Compete Agreement: These agreements ensure that current or former employees cannot engage in activities that can be considered competitive to your business without your consent. Examples include working for direct competitors in your industry upon the end of the contract, providing freelance services in a similar industry, etc.

How an Employer of Record can help ensure data protection for your remote workers

Ensuring remote data protection for your business activities in emerging markets can be a complex process that requires continuous monitoring and improvement. However, by partnering with an Employer of Record for hiring remote workers or developing remote hubs, you can take advantage of pre-established policies established by industry experts.

RecruitGo will act as the legal employer of your remote workers and our team of advisors will be able to ensure that necessary measures are in place to protect your data. We are well-versed in drafting employee contracts and we will include privacy clauses following your business requirements. Our clauses will also be specifically adapted to the market you are targeting.

Our team can also provide additional measures for ensuring remote work data privacy, such as the implementation of NDAs and supplying your remote workers with equipment, such as company computers and secure networks for remote hubs. If you are interested in taking advantage of RecruitGo’s expertise in remote data protection, contact us via the form below!