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Employee Monitoring Glossary
GDPR (Employee Monitoring)
The GDPR's application to workplace monitoring — requiring lawful basis, transparency, data minimisation, and retention limits.
Definition
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) applies to employee monitoring in all EU member states. Under GDPR, employers must have a lawful basis to process employee monitoring data (usually "legitimate interests" under Article 6(1)(f)), must inform employees about what is collected and why, must apply data minimisation principles, and must limit retention periods. GDPR-compliant monitoring software provides configurable zone rules, automatic data deletion, and audit trails.
GDPR Compliance Checklist for Employee Monitoring
- Written privacy notice (what is collected, why, retention period, employee rights)
- Lawful basis documented (legitimate interests assessment or contract performance)
- Data minimisation: collect only necessary data; blur/redact sensitive content from screenshots
- Retention limit: automatic deletion after configured period (7-90 days is standard)
- Data Processing Agreement with your software vendor (DPA available here)
- DPIA conducted for systematic monitoring of all employees (high-risk processing)
- Zone-based rules: different monitoring intensity for different geographic locations