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Learning Zone 2020 - GDPR Series Conclusion

In the last post we looked at the rights of the data subject, lawful basis and the principles of data processing.

Now we can review some practical next steps to take on the journey towards compliance.

Becoming Accountable                        

Recognising and owning the personal data you process in one of the best ways to begin your own businesses compliance journey:

 Carry out an inventory of all personal data you hold and examine it under the following headings:

·        Why are you holding it?

·        How did you obtain it?

·        Why was it originally gathered?

·        How long will you retain it?

·        How secure is it, both in terms of encryption and accessibility?

·        Do you ever share it with third parties and on what basis might you do so?

 The Isle of Man Information Commissioner has a hand pack that you could use as a starting point for your own inventory:

https://www.inforights.im/media/1271/gdpr_part-1_toolkit_mapping_may2016.pdf

 Documentation for Your Business

There is a list of documentation that you’ll need to compile to meet your businesses obligations under the GDPR.  You will probably need most of them but not all.  If you don’t have employees or deal with children’s data, you can reduce the list a little.

Again, there is no need to over complicate these, there are many examples online you could use to begin.  

Also look at your competitors to see what they are doing in this space – how does their privacy notice on their website look for example – would you be satisfied with it as a customer or supplier etc.

You will need to invest some time upfront to get these foundational documents, policies and procedures in place. Avoid the approach of taking standard templates and not amending them for your specific business.

 Data Protection Policy (Article 24)

A document outlining your businesses policy on protecting personal data.

Employee Data Protection Policy (Article 24)

If you have employees, you need a document outlining your businesses policy on protecting their personal data.

Privacy Notice (Articles 12, 13, and 14)

A document setting out how you meet your business meets its obligations as regards transparency and data protection rights.

Employee Privacy Notice (Articles 12, 13 and 14)

If you have employees, you need a document setting out how you meet your business meets its obligations as regards transparency and their data protection rights.

Data Retention Policy & Schedule (Articles 5, 13, 17, and 30)

A document explaining how your business approached data retention.

Data Subject Consent Form & Withdrawal Form (Articles 6, 7, and 9)

Standard forms for data subjects to use to give and take back their consent.

Parental Consent Form & Withdrawal Form (Article 8)

Standard forms for parents of child data subjects to use to give and take back their consent.

Data Subject Access Request Form (Article 15)

Standard forms for data subjects to use to exercise their right to access data.

DPIA Register (Article 35)

A list of any Data Protection Impact Assessments carried out in your business.

Supplier Data Processing Agreement (Articles 28, 32, and 82)

The agreement you enter with your suppliers to meet your GDPR obligations.

Data Breach Response and Notification Procedure (Articles 4, 33, and 34)

Your business procedure for responding to and notifying in the case of data breaches.

Data Breach Register (Article 33)

A list of any Data Breaches that have occurred in your business.

Data Breach Notification Form to the Supervisory Authority (Article 33)

Standard forms to use if needed, to notify the Supervisory Authority of a data breach.

Data Breach Notification Form to Data Subjects (Article 34)

Standard forms to use if needed, to notify the Data Subjects of a data breach.

Inventory of Processing Activities (Article 30)

A list of your businesses’ activities where you process personal data.

Standard Contractual Clauses for the Transfer of Personal Data to Controllers (Article 46)

A standard template used if needed to transfer personal data to controllers.

Standard Contractual Clauses for the Transfer of Personal Data to Processors (Article 46) 

A standard template used if needed to transfer personal data to processors.

Roles and Responsibilities

Public Authorities and organisations that for example regularly monitor or process large quantities of personal data, must ensure that a Data Protection Officer (DPO) is appointed either internally or externally.

Even of your business is not obliged to appoint a DPO you should still assign someone in the business as a data protection lead or ambassador.  They will become the focal point for data protection and be responsible for moving the business towards compliance.  Approach it like a project with milestones and goals and over time you can make quick progress.

Remember, although your business when processing personal data is obliged to adhere to the GDPR and data protection law; it’s your customers and suppliers that will also require you to show how you protect their personal data and process it in a secure and professional way.

Thank you to David Normoyle and the team at spotlightbusinessimprovement for providing all the content for the GDPR blogs.

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Learning Zone 2020 - Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps

Step 10- Employ External Partners, Consultants and Support

We’ve arrived at the final phase of our 10-part series Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps. Over the past nine stages, you have learnt how to evaluate the readiness of your existing business for expansion, and develop the planning and processes that will enable you to seek new overseas routes to profit.

Positioning the right partnerships and support around your business is important for success whether at home or abroad. As you begin implementing your expansion plan, you’ll want to know that you have a good external network in place locally that is aligned with your goals and can provide long-term benefits to your business.

The final stage of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps gives you examples of the types of in-country support you should be seeking out, and the questions to ask to ensure they are right for you. Once you have this phase in place alongside the other steps in the process, you have the tools and strategy secured to move forward with your global vision.

Networking

Local business networking groups can put you in touch with knowledgeable figures and partners in your target location. At networking events or even using social groups, source “insiders” and experts – these individuals are valuable for advice and support to your globalisation strategy as they are specialists in local conditions. Think about how you can harness the information they offer to reinforce your activities in their country.

Industry societies

International governing bodies and societies in HR and global mobility such as SHRM, Worldwide ERC, Expat Academy and so on have a wealth of knowledge and resources you can utilise for a membership fee or free in some cases. Many countries have industry groups who help businesses in a specific industry develop their offering and engage the right local partnerships. In Spain for example, an organisation called Secartys provides not-for-profit guidance and support services to companies in the fields of electronics, energy, smart technologies and ICT.

Local partners

Local partners such as lawyers, accountants and recruiters are a must-have for any company wanting to do business overseas. However, it is important to ensure they are reputable, suit your requirements and will deliver even if you are not physically in-country. Carry out robust research and obtain quotes before securing services. Ask the right questions - are they specialists in the chosen market? Are they trustworthy? Do any of your local contacts have recommendations? What are their credentials and can they provide references or testimonials to support this? Are they happy to work with staff within your business who might not necessarily be on-the-ground? Ensure you have watertight SLAs in place with any partner – set ground rules around fees, scope, points of contact and timescales for responses. Mauve Group’s partners are due-diligence checked for compliance by professional third-party Dun and Bradstreet.

Trade and investment departments

Seek support and advice from the Trade and Investment Bureau in your home country on doing business internationally. Similarly, local government departments for business often provide advice and attractive incentives to entice foreign companies into their country and are therefore a beneficial resource.

Global expansion solution specialists

Another alternative is a dedicated third-party organisation specialising in global expansion and workforce mobility solutions like Mauve Group. An established partner of this sort with an extensive worldwide reach can provide a huge variety of supporting services, including project-managing your global strategy, advice and consultancy and/or providing local support for payroll, immigration, compliance etc. Mauve Group has been providing solutions of this kind since 1996 in more than 150 countries worldwide, and is ready to assist if you feel you need support beyond the ten steps of the planning process.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our educative series Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps and have taken learnings and inspiration that will encourage you to embark on your global expansion journey. We’d love to hear from you with any questions or insights on your organisation’s global progress. To get in touch, email us at info@mauvegroup.com or visit www.mauvegroup.com .

A big thank you to Pinehub and its founder Bassey Duke for providing us with a platform for this series.

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International Women’s Day 2020 - Vigdís Finnbogadottir

Source -  www.mls.is 

Few women have been given the chance to lead great nations in the millennia of history. Among the first of them, however, set a precedent of female excellence other women in positions of power should choose to look up to.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was born in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik in 1930. Both of her parents were highly educated; her father was a civil engineer and professor and her mother was a nurse and chairperson of the Icelandic Nurses Association. She studied French literature at both the University of Grenoble and Paris’s prestigious Sorbonne, history of theater at the University of Copenhagen, and received a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and a BAchelor’s degree in French and English at the University of Iceland.

Prior to entering politics, Finnbogadóttir taught French and drama at several universities throughout Iceland. During the summers, when school would be out, she worked as a tour guide to make ends meet.

The history of the women’s rights movement in Iceland is a long one. Prior to Finnbogadóttir’s election in 1980, approximately 90% of Icelandic women participated in a nationwide strike in an effort to demonstrate how important women were to the country, a ploy that both wound up successful and has also been repeated globally due to that aforementioned success. Just five years later, the 1980 Icelandic presidential election was underway. The goal of these activist groups? To ensure that a woman was elected to the office.

In 1980, Finnbogadóttir was approached and asked to run for president. She was hesitant and required much persuasion. Her main reservations were the fact that she was a divorced, single mother, still not the norm in most of the world, and that all three of her opponents were men. She emerged victorious, however, though marginally - she was only a few percentage points ahead of her nearest opponent.

The office of president of Iceland is seen as primarily ceremonial. Finnbogadóttir, however, chose to use her office for good. She was a strong advocate for environmental activism while in office and fought for the preservation of Icelandic language and culture. These endeavors proved to increase her popularity immensely in Iceland. She was eventually re-elected three times, two of those times running unopposed. Her opponent in the re-election campaign where she did, in fact, have an opponent, was another woman.

As president, she also made significant efforts to emphasize the importance of smaller nations, like Iceland, in a time of the Cold War and tension between the global superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union. She was a key player in organizing the Reykjavik summit, a summit between US and Soviet leaders in 1986 that proved crucial to easing tensions between both nations. She was also a strong advocate for female education globally.

In 1996, Finnbogadóttir chose not to run for re-election. Having served a total of sixteen years as president, she is both the first democratically elected female president in the world and the longest-serving female president in history. As of 2020, she remains as Iceland’s only female president. Shortly after she stepped down from office, she was given the title of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon an individual.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was, in more ways than one, a trailblazer. The mere act of being a “first” in history is daunting, but the way she used her power for the betterment of the world is truly admirable. She has since been succeeded by men in her country, but by women around the world who look up to her as an inspiration for a successful presidency.

Blog Author - Daniela Casillas

Daniela Casillas was born in United States. As a student, she worked as an editor in her high school’s literary magazine, being published in the nationally-ranked magazine twice. She also started an after-school writing workshop for underperforming students at her former elementary school. She was awarded the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for academic excellence and for passing at least eight college-level AP exams. She hopes to cultivate her passion for writing and find opportunities to give back to the local community.

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International Women’s Day 2020 - Maria Woodworth-Etter

Source - Indiana Voice Journal

What was known as the Third Great Awakening in United States History saw a revival of religious belief and the birth of multiple new religious movements and denominations.  From the mid-1800s to the early 20th century, Americans were drawn to the many new preachers and evangelists who popped up during this time. Among them was one by the name Maria Woodworth-Etter.

Born in the state of Ohio, Woodworth-Etter reportedly did not have much of a relationship with the Christian faith growing up. It wasn’t until the age of thirteen that she converted to Christianity and became officially affiliated with any sort of church or denomination.

Shortly after converting, Woodworth-Etter received the first of many reported communications from God, saying he told her to “go to the highways and hedges and gather the lost sheep.”

In 1863, she married Philo Horace Woodworth in the hopes that she would be able to do missionary work with him since her denomination did not allow women to do so. They had six children together though only one of them survived past childhood.

At the start of her first marriage, Woodworth-Etter and her husband began to work as farmers in order to support their family. However, this endeavor ultimately failed and they both had to find other means of work. During her struggle to find work and deal with the losses of her children, Woodworth-Etter was certain of one thing: that it was her destiny to preach.

After the Woodworth’s farm failed, the husband and wife team founded a traveling ministry that preached all over the midwestern United States. Woodworth-Etter became famous as many believed that God would come to her during her sermons. During this time, Woodworth-Etter claims she received a direct message from God and Jesus asking her to pray on behalf of the poor. Following the reported vision, Woodworth-Etter’s sermons grew in popularity after she began to heal afflicted individuals in front of her congregation.

Though Woodworth-Etter’s preaching landed her in trouble on a few occasions, such as when she was arrested for falsely claiming she could heal others or when she was deemed insane by a group of psychiatrists after she had claimed to have seen God, she continued to preach throughout the Midwest. In 1891, she divorced her husband on the grounds of infidelity. Both had gained recognition for their sermons, but Woodworth-Etter continued to travel and gained more notoriety.

In 1902, Woodworth-Etter met Samuel Etter in Arkansas, United States and later married him. The two traveled together while Woodworth-Etter continued her work as a preacher. Though Etter would pass away about 10 years later, Woodworth-Etter continued to travel nevertheless, believing that her purpose in life had not been fulfilled yet. In 1912, shortly before her husband’s death, Woodworth-Etter joined the newly formed Pentecostal movement, helping to grow its legitimacy and popularity throughout the United States.

In 1918, Woodworth-Etter founded what is today the Lakeview Church in Indianapolis, United States, a church that is still active today. Though she turned her Indiana church into her “headquarters”, Woodworth-Etter continued to travel - less frequently - around the country to preach and give sermons until her death in 1924

The many decades Woodworth-Etter spent as a traveling preacher undoubtedly helped many individuals. Beyond those she is alleged to have healed with her connection to God, she inspired fellow preachers during this tumultuous time in United States history to spread their beliefs and be unafraid of opposition. 

Blog Author - Daniela Casillas

Daniela Casillas was born in United States. As a student, she worked as an editor in her high school’s literary magazine, being published in the nationally-ranked magazine twice. She also started an after-school writing workshop for underperforming students at her former elementary school. She was awarded the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for academic excellence and for passing at least eight college-level AP exams. She hopes to cultivate her passion for writing and find opportunities to give back to the local community.

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International Women’s Day 2020 - Katherine Johnson

Source - mentalfloss.com

The achievements of black people in the United States have been ignored for most of its history. Though she has been recognized for her mathematical prowess and role in the 1969 Moon Landing, it was only recently that Katherine Johnson was given the praise she so rightfully deserved.

Born the youngest of four children in West Virginia, United States, Johnson showed her mathematical aptitude from a young age. She advanced through her formal education quickly, graduating from high school at the age of just ten. By fourteen, Johnson was enrolled in university. While at West Virginia University, Johnson took every mathematics course made available to her. She graduated at the age of eighteen, the age most people start their college educations.

After marrying her first husband, James Goble, Johnson began to pursue graduate-level education in mathematics. Though she quit a year later after becoming pregnant and choosing to focus on her family. During this time, Johnson played a pivotal role in the integration of West Virginia University following the United States Supreme Court Case Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada. The court case ruled that states that provided higher public education to white students had to also provide it to black students.

After finishing her education, Johnson chose to be a research mathematician, a daunting task to undertake given that it was notoriously difficult for women to enter the field, not to mention African American women in a time of institutional sexism and segregation. In 1952, she began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which hired black people while being supervised by whites. She worked as a computer for them, though her workplace was still subject to federal segregation laws.

While working alongside the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), she calculated Alan Shepherd’s 1961 flight’s trajectory successfully, a major victory for the United States in the so-called “Space Race” against the Soviet Union. She also calculated the launch window for Shepherd's 1961 Mercury Project flight.

Johnson was so adept at mathematics that, when NASA first began to use electronic computers for their calculations, Johnson was called to double-check the computer’s results.

One of her most notable achievements was her work on the 1969 Apollo 11 Mission, one that would ultimately see man land on the moon for the first time. The notoriously difficult mission was considered the end of the “Space Race” with the American victory, all thanks to Johnson and her work.

Later on in her career, Johnson worked for NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, one that defined space travel in the latter half of the twentieth century. By the time she retired, the plans to send a rover to Mars were being drafted.

Johnson has received many prestigious awards throughout her lifetime. In 2015, then-United States President Barack Obama honoured her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian awards given. She was one of only seventeen individuals to receive it in 2015. She also received NASA’s Silver Snoopy Award, given to individuals who greatly contributed to the success and safe conclusion to NASA missions.

Johnson recently received greater national attention in the United States following the movie Hidden Figures where she was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson. The film highlighted her role and the role of the large number of black women who contributed to the success of the Apollo 11 mission. The movie was praised for giving those women a long-overdue celebration.

Johnson advocated for greater STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education until her death at the age of 101 in February of 2020. She served as an inspiration to women and women of colour entering the notoriously male-dominated field of mathematics. Her legacy is one of inspiration and innovation, one that resonates with the thousands of women in these aforementioned fields that feel drowned out in the sea of male colleagues.

Blog Author - Daniela Casillas

Daniela Casillas was born in United States. As a student, she worked as an editor in her high school’s literary magazine, being published in the nationally-ranked magazine twice. She also started an after-school writing workshop for underperforming students at her former elementary school. She was awarded the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for academic excellence and for passing at least eight college-level AP exams. She hopes to cultivate her passion for writing and find opportunities to give back to the local community.

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International Women’s Day 2020 - Mary Slessor

Source - Dundee Centre for Leisure and Culture

Born near Aberdeen, Scotland in the year 1848, Mary Slessor is regarded as one of the most important figures in the spread of Christianity in Nigeria. Her work in the Calabar region is remembered today for its success in converting several people living in the region and, notably, helping to end twin infanticide in the region. However, Slessor’s tenacity, sense of humor, and love for the people of Calabar are most notable of all.

Growing up, Mary was one of seven children born into the relatively poor, working-class Slessor family. Her mother, a skilled weaver, and her father, though a shoemaker by trade, both worked in the town’s mills. Slessor, too, would begin working at the age of eleven to help support her family, dividing her time between working part-time, attending school, and helping care for her household. By fourteen, however, she began to work full twelve-hour days as a jute worker.

After pneumonia killed her father and brothers, Mary was raised by her mother, a devout Presbyterian. Because of her, she was instilled with a deep respect and love for the Christian religion. As an adult, she trained to become a missionary in Edinburgh and left for Nigeria in 1876 at just 28 years of age.

Slessor arrived in Nigeria during a tense period of its history. The British had begun to further consolidate their power over the nation, having already been in Nigeria for almost half a century. The British policy of amalgamation which resulted in several ethnic and religious groups being forced to live together had caused internal tension in the then-colony.

Arriving in the Calabar region of Nigeria, Slessor learned of the local practice of twin infanticide. The practice was a fairly common one that stemmed from the belief that, if a woman gave birth to twins, it meant that one of the babies was evil. Since there was no way to determine which child was evil, both were left in the bush to die, exposed to the elements. Horrified, Slessor became dedicated to ending the practice. Not only did she speak out against it, but she also adopted abandoned children she found. She would even send fellow missionaries out with the sole purpose of finding and saving abandoned children.

Slessor was celebrated by fellow missionaries for her close relationship with the communities she worked with. She was noted to have begun eating the same foods as the natives - though mainly because she did not have enough money to purchase imported foods from the United Kingdom - which strengthened their bond. Most importantly, Slessor learned the local language, Efik, in order to better communicate with the people of Calabar while her companions oftentimes only spoke English.

Mary’s ability to speak Efik facilitated her missionary work. In an account by her contemporary W.P. Livingstone, her resolve to learn the language only grew when she learned how unreliable the interpreters. In one instance, the Biblical parable of Lazarus and an unnamed wealthy man in which the wealthy man suffers in the afterlife for his greed was so badly translated that, according to Livingstone, a local listening to the tale exclaimed he’d prefer to be the rich man. Many attribute the fact that she spoke Efik to be behind the genuine friendships with the people of Calabar to be therefore the reason behind her significant influence in Calabar.

Slessor’s contemporaries were also in awe of her patience. She took the time to interact and bond with the people she met and worked with, bolstered by the fact that she could communicate in the local language. “Christ was never in a hurry,” she wrote.

In 1888, Slessor traveled to the area of Okoyong, further north than where she had been previously stationed. Male missionaries had been killed by the people living in the area, so it was believed that sending a female missionary, especially one who was able to speak the language, would prove less threatening to the locals. She spent fifteen years working in the area. During this time, her proficiency in Efik improved and she became well-known for her close, personal friendships with those she worked with. Among her most important achievements during this time was the introduction of Western education and her successes in fighting against the practice of twin infanticide.

Throughout her time in Nigeria, Slessor temporarily returned to Scotland to recover from periods of deteriorating health due to bouts of malaria. She never, however, stayed permanently. After each health furlough, she returned to her missionary work. Near the end of her life, she was so weakened by years of malaria and severe fevers she could no longer walk unaided. Still, she continued her work. She died in January of 1915 and was given the colonial equivalent of a state funeral.

Throughout her time in Nigeria, Mary Slessor undoubtedly helped convert a large number of people to Christianity. Her greatest achievements, however, are the bonds she formed with the people of Nigeria. The dedication and passions she showed them was unmatched at the time, and inspired future generations of missionaries and religious leaders alike.

Blog Author - Daniela Casillas

Daniela Casillas was born in United States. As a student, she worked as an editor in her high school’s literary magazine, being published in the nationally-ranked magazine twice. She also started an after-school writing workshop for underperforming students at her former elementary school. She was awarded the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for academic excellence and for passing at least eight college-level AP exams. She hopes to cultivate her passion for writing and find opportunities to give back to the local community.

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International Women’s Day 2020 - Mother Teresa

Source - NBC News

When describing an individual renowned for their good deeds and selflessness, he or she is oftentimes described as “a real Mother Teresa.” During her lifetime and in the years following her death, Mother Teresa has become synonymous with charity and selflessness.

Though she is famous for her work in Calcutta, now Kolkata, Mother Teresa was born in present-day North Macedonia during the late days of the Ottoman Empire. Her family was of Albanian origin. Little is know about her early childhood. Accounts state, however, that she knew she wanted to commit herself to her Catholic faith as early as the age of twelve. At eighteen, she left her home to learn English in Ireland and to join the Sisters of Loreto at Loreto Abbey.

A year after arriving in Ireland, she arrived in the Indian state of Bengal to begin her novitiate. Upon taking her religious vows in 1931, three years after she left North Macedonia, she adopted the name Teresa after the patron saint of missionaries, Thérèse de Lisieux. While a teacher in Kolkata, she took her solemn vows in 1937. She continued to teach at the school run by the Sisters of Loseto, eventually becoming its headmistress. However, the poverty she witnessed in Calcutta deeply unsettled her.

In 1948, Mother Teresa began her charity missionary work in Calcutta. During this time, she adopted the white sari with blue border she is known for, favoring it over the traditional nun’s habit. To further prove her dedication to helping the Indian people, she adopted Indian citizenship. After taking a basic medical training course, she ventured into the city slums to aid those in need.

In 1952, Mother Teresa founded what is perhaps her greatest achievement - the Kalighat Home for the Dying - with the help of Calcutta officials. It served as one of her first major charitable ventures. The hospice center provided those with severe and/or terminal illnesses with hospice care and pre-funeral rights in accordance with the patients’ faiths. For example, Catholics were absolved of sin and Hindus were given water from the holy Ganges river. The center received praise for not turning away individuals on the basis of faith and giving those in need a dignified death. In Teresa’s words, the purpose of the hospice centers was to let people “die like angels - loved and wanted.”

A few years later, Teresa helped open a hospice care center for those suffering from leprosy. Patients were given food, shelter, and dressings for their wounds and sores. In 1955, she opened a home for orphaned children and homeless youth.

Positive attention and donations generated by the hospice centers, youth homes, and leper houses allowed Mother Teresa to open several hospice centers throughout India, providing help to thousands, if not millions, of people. By the late 1970s, she had expanded outside of India, opening several care centers throughout Europe, Africa, and the Americas. By the time of her death, the congregation founded by Mother Teresa had grom from 13 to 4,000 members who operated care centers around the world.

Her dedication to the needy in Calcutta and beyond earned her international recognition and acclaim. She received India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, was the first to receive the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Following her death in 1997 following several issues with her health, Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church for her services to those in need in the name of her faith. The anniversary of her death is recognized by the United Nations as the International Day of Charity and marks her official feast day on the Catholic calendar.

Over the course of her lifetime and beyond, Mother Teresa has become synonymous with charity, selflessness, empathy, and goodwill. Her work aided millions of people all over the world and inspired many others to follow in her footsteps, and her legacy of charity had become instilled in all of us. 

Blog Author - Daniela Casillas

Daniela Casillas was born in United States. As a student, she worked as an editor in her high school’s literary magazine, being published in the nationally-ranked magazine twice. She also started an after-school writing workshop for underperforming students at her former elementary school. She was awarded the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for academic excellence and for passing at least eight college-level AP exams. She hopes to cultivate her passion for writing and find opportunities to give back to the local community.

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Vivian Gleich: Profile of a Remote Worker

Born and raised in the bustling metropolis of Mexico City, Vivian has always valued creativity, both her own and others’. Growing up, she would watch at the glamorous billboards that lined the Mexican capital’s streets in awe and could be found humming along to the jingles that played in her favourite television and radio ads. At the age of nineteen, while still a marketing student at Mexico’s prestigious Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey university, she began working part-time at a local advertising agency. Though advertising agencies were among the first office spaces to incorporate more modern layout designs, the offices Vivian worked at in the almost ten years prior to her switch to remote working still maintained most aspects of a traditional office space.

Over the course of ten years, Vivian worked in office spaces in both her hometown of Mexico City and in Dallas, United States after emigrating in the year 2000. Shortly after moving to Dallas, however, she made the switch and began working remotely.

In the year 2001, Vivian welcomed her first daughter. Alongside her work, taking care of her new family became her top priority. She now had a newfound need to have a better balance between her work and her home life. At the time, she saw working remotely as the best course of action to take in order to be able to keep working and her spend time with her children. She began working from home for the next several years as she found she was easily able to care for her children as while also rising through the ranks of the competitive world of advertising.

After remaining a remote worker for several years, Vivian was faced with the opportunity to return to an office space and briefly worked at the Conill Advertising Agency’s office in the downtown Miami, Florida area before returning to remote working. After having experienced the environment a conventional office workspace and spending nearly a decade working remotely at home, Vivian found that working remotely best suited her goals and was an environment she could more easily adapt to serve her needs.

Benefits of Working Remotely

Being a working parent always presents its own set of challenge. When she first began working remotely, Vivian was a new parent in an unfamiliar country. Working from home allowed her to spend more time with her children than she would if she worked in an office while also continuing to pursue a full-time career. With the technological advances of the modern age, working remotely has become much easier - over time, it became possible to attend staff meetings, have important client interactions, and give presentations from home - and has increased productivity and quality of work due to the greater control remote workers have over their work environment.

Working remotely also allowed her to acquire more clients based abroad, as working remotely made it easier for her to work following her clients’ schedules more closely without being constricted to her own time zone’s normal 9:00 to 5:00 work schedule. Vivian quickly found that working at the same time her international clients facilitated contact between both parties and strengthened both her professional relationships with clients. Better client relationships increased her reputation in her clients’ - and therefore, her employer’s - eyes, doing so from the comfort of her own home, without the stress and hassle of the long commute.

Vivian’s time working in conventional office spaces opened her eyes to it many professional benefits and over ten years working remotely allowed her to experience the pros of remote working first-hand and drove her choice to ultimately remain as a remote worker. As of now, Vivian has been working remotely for several advertising agencies and multimedia communications groups for almost twenty years, including the Leo Burnett Company, Conill Advertising Agency, and Árbol Communications Group. 

Drawbacks of Remote Working

The primary reason Vivian chose to remain a remote worker was the work-life balance she was able to maintain in a way co-workers and friends who worked in office spaces were less able to. After working remotely for several years, Vivian chose to temporarily return to a traditional office space while employed by the Conill advertising firm, though she soon remembered how beneficial remote working was to her desired lifestyle. Still, the issues she experienced as a remote worker were some many others experience as well. 

For one, the line between one’s work life and personal life was blurred drastically. Working in the same space as her young children became her primary distractor throughout the day. The mere fact that Vivian was working in a comfortable, less rigid environment sometimes proved to be a drawback that took away from her focus on any given day’s task. It’s fairly easy to give into everyday temptations when they are easily available; there’s no one but yourself to judge you or immediate repercussions if you stop working to take a short nap, get distracted browsing the web, or watch television when you are at home, away from co-workers, bosses, and employers.

The biggest issue Vivian has faced in her time as a remote worker is one that is often brought up in the argument against working remotely - the lack of interpersonal communication. Humans are social creatures, and face-to-face communication is an important need that must be met. As with any work environment, we communicate with those in our vicinity. Issues arise, then, when you work alone in your home. Oftentimes, remote workers find that only being able to speak and interact with other adults is through a computer screen, e-mail correspondence, and phone calls or video chat. As a result of almost entirely digital human interactions, a sense of isolation can develop. 

In advertising, the process that takes an idea into a finished product, whether it be a televised advertisement or social media campaign, requires the input and edits of multiple people. In being largely isolated from individuals in one’s field, it can be difficult to receive feedback and constructive criticism from your peers, as Vivian has also experienced.

There is also an oftentimes unexpected drawback to working remotely, and it is in fact one of it’s benefits: the lack of a fixed work schedule. Not being restricted to a typical nine-to-five office job can prove greatly beneficial to one’s productivity  in creative fields such as advertising. However, in Vivian’s case, at times her lack of a fixed schedule resulted in her being perceived as a sort of 24/7 worker, clients and employers expecting her to be available at all hours for the mere fact that her desk was in her living room, not in an office. 

In Vivian’s case, such issues did drive her to resume working in a conventional office space temporarily before ultimately returning to working remotely, since, at the end of the day, doing so better allowed Vivian to balance her work with her family life. Because of her decision to work remotely, Vivian was able to spend a greater amount of time with her growing family and remain as a full-time employee instead of giving up one for the other as is so often the case.

How Co-Working Spaces Come Into Play

    Though each remote worker has his or her own motivations behind working outside of an office, and Vivian’s experiences may not be the same as yours, you may have shared many of the issues she has encountered in her eighteen years as a remote worker. And, like her, you are aware of the issues presented to you but do not want to move your workspace into a traditional office. In these situations, co-working spaces provide an alternative to both working from home and in an office.

Shared office spaces have grown in popularity over the last few years, primarily because they combine the best of both worlds: flexible work hours and convenience with the amenities provided in many offices that are less easily available to remote workers, like free coffee, a place to separate one’s work life from his or her personal life, and a community of fellow remote workers.

As they are centred around their clients, co-working spaces cater to their individual needs and offer a high level of control. Privately owned co-working spaces, as opposed to those run by larger institutions like banks, are available to clients for more hours out of the day rather than just when their parent institution is open - they don’t tend to be restricted by a 9:00 to 5:00 work week. There is also the added benefit of having the ability to utilize a co-working space during the weekend, allowing remote workers like Vivian to get ahead or catch up with more ease. To say the least, co-working spaces offer a perfect balance between the convenience of not having a fixed work schedule with the ability to work whenever and for however long you choose. 

Co-working spaces also offer freelance and remote workers with certain amenities that create a work environment more comfortable than a conventional office space yet still offers the feel of an office space, an aspect beneficial to those who may struggle with distractions. Clients of a co-working space are able to come and go as they please and use the space’s many amenities, which oftentimes include access to printers and scanners, free beverages (both hot and cold), a comfortable workspace, meetings rooms and private offices, and reliable and fast broadband internet included the price. 

One of the most important, if not the most, and significant benefits of utilizing a co-working space is the ability to interact and network with other people. Remote workers often experience feelings of isolation brought on by reduced human interaction, an experience Vivian is all too aware of. The clients of a co-working space are able to speak to other clients or even the co-working space’s onsite staff, potentially receiving advice and feedback regarding their work while also fulfilling their need for socialization and interaction. Occupying the same workspace can also facilitate networking between individuals, either in different or similar fields, that may otherwise be more difficult or even impossible from an office or home. 

With nearly thirty years of experience in advertising and eighteen years as a remote worker, Vivian has accumulated plenty of experience working both at home and in an office space over the years. Though her personal experiences are unique, you may easily relate to the issues she has faced as well as the benefits she has found. While, previously, one could only choose between working in an office or working at home, the rise of co-working spaces over the last several years has provided an alternative many remote workers find far more suitable to their needs and gives remote workers a convenient, more personal place to work that is also better suited to their needs, wishes, and today’s rapidly developing world. 

About the Author

Vivian Gleich has almost thirty years experience in the fields of advertising, communications, and marketing and has spent the past eighteen years working remotely. Her work over the past several decades has been internationally recognized as such prestigious festivals as Cannes, One Show, and New York Festival among others. She is currently the Chief Creative Director for Árbol Communications Group based out of Miami, Florida. 

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Learning Zone 2020: How to take your business Global in 10 easy steps - Step 9

Step 9- Choosing the Right Type of Entity

You are nearing the final stage of your global expansion planning. By now hopefully you have established that there is a good niche for your product in your country of choice and that the end justifies the means.

Every organisation is individual, and there is no specific blueprint that has been written for the unique considerations of your company. You will need to look through the steps of your planning, particularly at your existing company audit in Step 1 and the goals of your expansion in Step 2, to ensure you are considering the right entity types or local presence to fit your circumstances. This will take further research into the different options available in your chosen country, but will ensure you are not tethering yourself to an ill-thought-out venture.

This week’s Step 9 of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps helps you to understand the entity type or in-country presence that best suits the specifics of your business, and defines what is meant by an alternative option - the Employer of Record solution.

Understanding the Aims of the Entity

The aims and functions of the company will have a bearing on the type of entity you choose. For example, if the requirement of the business is just to market a product or carry out other non-transactional operations, you may choose a representative office. A taxable presence in the country will likely warrant the setup of a branch or subsidiary.

Testing the Waters

If you are feeling risk-averse and not fully confident about developing your business abroad yet, decide whether you realistically need to place your organisation physically on-the-ground or is there an alternative you can use to ‘test the waters’ first? Operating online could be a good initial strategy, or utilising an Employer of Record if you need staff members in-country before an entity is established.

Which Entity Is Right for Me?

If you do want to set up a physical entity, there are a number of different types of local in-country entities you can utilise with varying benefits, such as:

LLC / LTDs (Limited Liability Company)

PLC (Public Limited Company)

Joint Venture

Registered Office for Tax

Branch

Subsidiary

 Ascertain which option is available to you locally and best suits the scope of your operations. You can also source a reputable global business services provider to advise you on the best route available. These companies are usually able (if required) to assist in setting up entities on their clients’ behalf as part of their services.

 PEO or Employer of Record

 A 3rd party organisation specialising in Global Workforce Solutions can also provide a type of service known as either Professional Employment Outsourcing (PEO), Employer of Record (EoR) or Co-Employment Services.

An Employer of Record solution compliantly employs a company’s workers in countries where their own local entity is lacking. The EoR provider takes care of the necessary local employment and HR tasks, while the client retains day-to-day management of their worker.  An EoR arrangement can be beneficial overseas or on home soil, either for short- or long-term projects.

EoR providers have representative offices in many different countries and you may choose to outsource the employment of your chosen local or expatriate individual to such a company. This avoids the necessity to establish your own entity in a new country and yet still retain control over your employee’s activities.

 Companies providing EoR benefit from having the local knowledge necessary to employ individuals and as such, can cut-through the local red-tape on your behalf if necessary. They can also act as a first point-of-contact for multiple requirements, saving you time, stress and most importantly, the expense in achieving your expansion goals. Mauve has acted as employer of record around the world for individuals in positions as varied as actors, engineers, professors, aid workers, video game developers.

 Next week, Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps culminates with the final instalment of the series – ‘Sourcing Expert Partners’. To draw the series to a close, we break down how to find the external partnerships and local support system you will need to make a long-term success of your overseas business beyond launch.

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Learning Zone 2020, Step 8 on taking your business Global

Step 8- Manage your Personnel Effectively

Any business owner will understand that people are integral to success. Although manual tasks are increasingly moving towards automation, people are still the heart and lifeblood of an organisation, making managerial and process decisions that will pave the way forward. How you decide to secure and distribute personnel resources on a project will ultimately determine its success or failure.

The same is true for organisations looking to expand overseas. Very little headway can be made without placing the right people in the right positions as you embark on your venture – particularly when entering into a new or unfamiliar location where the stakes are high. By playing to your strengths and planning your human resources well, you will avoid mistakes, inefficiency and morale issues that can put the brakes on profit.

In this week’s Step 8 of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps, we break down the different areas of the personnel issue to help you continue your expansion planning.

Existing Staff

Look at whether your existing staff can manage the workload of an additional location remotely. While a new venture is an exciting prospect, you should make sure that existing roles are not being neglected – a sudden onslaught of new duties could impact time, accuracy and morale. Make sure you keep your existing staff members informed about your expansion plans and progress. An open, honest environment around the project will help you to achieve their buy-in to pull together through any challenges.

Expatriating Workers

If existing staff cannot afford the workload or you need resources locally, another option is to expatriate some of your staff to set up and manage your new venture in-country. There are many factors to be considered here to ensure a smooth move, including relocation packages, associated bonuses, promotions or salary changes, visas, home search, relocation of any dependents and pets, travel bookings, transportation of belongings and so on. A key priority is proper planning from an early stage to prevent your relocated personnel from feeling isolated in their new location.

Are there language or cultural barriers that your expatriate workers might come up against? Translation assistance and cultural awareness courses can help improve your company’s resources and better assimilate expatriate staff. Bear in mind that even if the worker speaks the language, there may be a difference in business/industry translations, so utilising the services of a professional translator can help your organisation assimilate better into the new country.

Visa and Immigration

If expatriating staff, a big factor to consider will be the associated immigration requirements. You will need to determine the type of visa or permit to suit their activities in-country and the timeframe they are required to be there. Will they need a work permit? When considering the type of visa they will need, you should bear in mind the following:

-        Worker’s job role;

-        Length of assignment;

-        Location of work (e.g. the town or city, and whether from home or an office location);

-        The worker’s qualifications and previous experience;

-        Any residency requirement;

-        Do they need multiple re-entries?

You might need to send expatriates in to train local staff and get your new company off the ground. Will staff visiting short-term for training purposes require business visas? Even short-term assignments and training visits may require visas or permits.

Hiring Locally

Would it be better to hire local staff? Local nationals may understand the market better and act as a local representative. In that vein, some customers respond better to companies with personnel on-the-ground or speaking the same language. If you do decide to hire locally, you should carry out salary benchmarking for the roles you require in-country. The salary packages may be different to your other locations and this could effect operational costs.

Can You Employ Locally?

Whether expatriates or locals, you need to ascertain how you are going to employ staff locally. If you have already selected the type of entity you will set up, then you should check if this can support the employment of staff, and whether it can sponsor visas or work permits for expatriates. If your entity cannot support employment of staff, or you are looking to dip your toe into the new country without the commitment of an entity, an Employer of Record solution might be a good alternative.

Next week in the penultimate instalment of our educative series Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps, we will look at the definition and benefits of an Employer of Record service, and, if you’re planning to set up your own company overseas, how to choose the best entity type for your organisation.

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Learning Zone 2020 - Step 7, Familiarise yourself with local law

Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps

Step 7 – Familiarise Yourself with Local Law 

International expansion projects often operate to rapid deployment timescales, tight budgets and urgent in-country requirements. The pressing nature of getting into a new market can sometimes lead to corners cut and snap decisions made. From this, risky situations can arise. Although operating internationally will undeniably broaden your organisation’s horizons, ignoring potential legal red-flags risks will impact compliance and can lead to headaches, penalties and damage control further down the line.

Your venture will run far more smoothly if you arm yourself with a working knowledge of your target country’s legal landscape. In this week’s Step 7 of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps, we give some guidance on where to focus your legal research.

Think Beyond Your Product

In our pursuit of profit, we sometimes get clouded by the logistical requirements of our product or service and forget the “hidden” legalities of operating an overseas entity. Consider corporate taxation, permanent establishment, labour and immigration laws as well as the laws associated with your product offering, such as import and export regulations.

Visas and Immigration

Ensure that your plans comply to the letter of the law- don’t assume you can send your regional sales manager out to work long-term in South Africa on a tourist visa when he will need a work permit to do so. This type of assumption can cost you huge amounts of money and put your employees at risk. Check the worker’s nationality, the activities that are permissible on different types of available visa and the visa types your local entity can support. Also consider the amount of time the individual will be in-country along with any entries and exits that will be required for things like home visits and business trips.

Employment Law

Be mindful that employment laws may differ from those of your home country and you may need to take professional advice. In fact, we highly encourage this. Mauve’s employment law experts frequently have to step in to assist businesses who have terminated overseas employees according to the labour laws of their home countries, not realising that they have actually unfairly dismissed the employee. That employee may then return with a lawsuit – the judgement often falls in their favour in this situation as they are actually making a completely legitimate claim.

Financial payouts in such a case can be huge – and can spark other employees to follow suit. Mauve’s experts have seen this happen in Italy, the UAE, Japan- all because companies make the assumption they can do things how they do them in their own country. It is very important to avoid that costly mistake.

SLAs

Carefully research any local legal partners and take recommendations from trusted sources. On the subject of partners and suppliers, ensure you have watertight SLAs in place with any local providers you take on, legal or otherwise. If you are not on-the-ground to monitor their activities, you should make your expectations crystal clear contractually - never rely on trust or verbal arrangements. Although local expertise and connections are valuable, make sure you have the right protections in place to minimise the impact of any breaches.

Compliance is Key

If there is one area where you should not economise, it is compliance - the penalties and legal processes relating to non-compliance can be financially disabling and can result in jail - naivety will not be tolerated as an excuse by most authorities.

Companies expanding internationally can benefit from risk assessment monitoring. These reports assess the individual, current circumstances of the company’s operations in their chosen country, and shed light on operational red flags and recommendations. Focus areas of potential risk include disguised employment, correct entity registration, risk of permanent establishment, contracts and labour issues, and tax and accounting compliance.

No serious entrepreneur venturing overseas wants to risk a run-in with the authorities – by acquainting yourself with the local legal environment during your planning, you can avoid endangering your fledgling foreign enterprise. In the next step of the series, we will explore one of the key factors that makes a successful organisation possible – the people. Join us next week for Step 8 – ‘Managing Your Personnel Effectively.’

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Learning Zone - Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps Step 6, Explore Local Financial and Banking Requirements

During the planning phase of expanding your business into a new market, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement and potential rewards that setting up overseas often brings. However, as we mentioned last week as we guided you through costing your venture, ensuring you have tight financial processes in place is important to ensure your business maximises its profits and makes the best of the investment.

Financial requirements will change from location to location, so you should ensure you properly understand the fiscal environment and have sourced the right support before you take the plunge. Some financial aspects to consider as you plan your international expansion:

1.      Is your current bank operational in other markets? Many banks today pride themselves on being international to facilitate cross-border business transactions. If they themselves do not have overseas branches, banks will often create partnerships with other banks in the same group, and piggyback on their international coverage to meet client needs. Could you open an in-country bank account via your bank’s local branch or network, or will you need to source a new, secure and reputable bank to look after your local funds?

 2.      Consider potential bank and foreign exchange charges for any cross-border financial transactions. Timescales for cross-border payments between banks can be lengthy and funds can go missing. It may be worthwhile to use the services of an FX company specialising in international payments and with access to better deals on foreign currency – partnering with companies like this can minimise banking charges and ensure speedier payments.

 3.      The payroll of any local staff, whether expatriates or nationals, is another important factor to get right. Dealing with the payroll of employees in foreign countries can place strain on your resources, especially if you are not familiar with local practices. Taxation requirements are often different from country-to-country – make sure you are paying them correctly in line with local law. Add to that the importance of ensuring your employees are paid on time to keep their morale up, and the process can become a headache – especially if you are dealing with multiple country locations.

 Utilising the services of a global payroll company can help you guarantee compliant and timely remittance of funds to your workers. These companies work alongside your existing, in-house departments responsible for payments, and if they have an international network covering your locations, they can provide a single point-of-contact to standardise your processes.  

 When looking for a global payroll provider, check whether they cover the following:

 ·        Organisation of local payroll set up;

·        Secure records and timely, detailed reporting;

·        Clear local payroll calculations;

·        Rapid movement of funds for salaries and tax remittances;

·        Continuous monitoring of tax regulation in host countries.

If you are planning expansion into one location only, your local accountant may be able to carry out payroll duties on your behalf. Make sure you have good processes in place to ensure timely remittance of funds to your local partner in time for them to pay any deductions to the authorities and the net funds to the worker. A salary deposit can help with this.

4.      Fiscal compliance is absolutely essential to ensuring the success of your international enterprise. Compliance is a key buzzword as governments crack down on loopholes and shady practices to raise funds through fines. Do extensive research on the country’s individual requirements, and check and account for finance and taxation legalities to avoid unnecessary fines. You and your business can be blacklisted from operating locally if you do not comply. This applies to income taxation and corporate requirements.

 5.      Secure the right partners. SMEs and companies in the process of expansion are often priced out of the services of the big 5 international accountancy firms; however, sourcing local accountants and financial advisors can often provide you with good advice on local circumstances and access to better pricing. Alternatively, global service providers like Mauve Group can offer surprisingly competitive consultancy and services through their international network of companies and experts.

 Framing your planning with these considerations will give you the lay of the land when it comes to operating in the fiscal environment of your new location. Next week, we move on to the local legalities of employing staff and running your overseas venture in Step 7 of the series – ‘Familiarise Yourself with The Law’.

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Learning Zone 2020 - GDPR Basic Principles

In the previous post we took a quick review of the GDPR and data protection and looked at some of the commonly used terminology.

Next in our effort to demystify the GDPR and data protection, we will review some of the basic principles that are generally applied.

As an entrepreneur, business owner or start up dealing with personal data, it is important that we learn about and consider the Principles of Data Processing.  There are eight of them, and as you review them, they should hopefully seem self-explanatory and common sense.  Think of them as a type of oath, that data processors make to customers and suppliers to show them that they care about their personal data:

The Eight principles of Data Processing                        

1.      Obtain and process the information fairly

2.      Keep it only for one or more specified & lawful purposes

3.      Process it only in ways compatible with the purposes for which it was given to you initially

4.      Keep it safe and secure

5.      Keep it accurate and up to date

6.      Ensure that it is adequate, relevant and not excessive

7.      Retain it no longer than is necessary for the specified purpose

8.      Give a copy of his/her personal data to any individual, on request

Let’s pick out a couple of them that might do with a little more exploration;

No 5 for example; Keep it accurate and up to date

Here the Data Processor commits to keeping the personal data up to date and accurate. This is a new concept for some businesses.  The duty is now on the business, to keep the data fresh and up to date.  This might mean in some cases, setting up an internal process to contact the data subject periodically to check if the data needs to be updated.  A practical example might be a doctor’s surgery that implements a new process to confirm a client’s current address, every time an appointment is made.

Or No 3; Process it only in ways compatible with the purposes for which it was given to you initially

The idea here is to only use the personal data for the reason it was originally collected.  Businesses are generally not allowed to use the information for new or unrelated purposes.

If we take a corner shop for example, that sells Christmas Hampers every year; customers give their name and addresses so the shop can deliver the hamper to their home. If the shop later launches a new dry-cleaning business and decides to use the hamper addresses list, to post out a discount coupon for dry cleaning – that would be against the Principles of Data Processing.

In addition to the eight principles of data processing, there are six principles applied specifically when collecting personal data.  They reflect the previous eight for the most part but need to be applied at every point where personal data is collected.  

The Six Principles of Collecting Personal Data                        

1.      Lawfulness, fairness and transparency

2.      Purpose limitation

3.      Data minimisation

4.      Accuracy

5.      Storage limitation

6.      Integrity and confidentiality

If a business has a Reception Desk for example, and visitors sign in, giving personal data such as their name, car registration and phone number; the business must ask themselves if every one of the six principles of data processing are respected? An easy way to do this is to walk through the process asking each of the questions along the way.

Lawful Basis for Processing                        

Every time we process personal data, we must ask ourselves what lawful basis we are relying on.  There are six, and more than one can apply at any one time.

·        Consent: the individual has given clear consent for you to process their personal data for a specific purpose.

·        Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract, or because they have asked you to take specific steps before entering into a contract.

·        Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for you to comply with the law.

·        Vital interests: the processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.

·        Public interests: the processing is necessary for you to perform a task in the public interest.

·        Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests.

 Data subjects now have an expanded range of rights under the GDPR.  Each needs to be considered in context and in relation to existing legal obligations etc.

Right to be Informed                        

Individuals have the right to fully understand how personal data is collected, stored, managed, protected and processed.

Right to Access                        

Individuals have the right to review their data—and any supplemental data—and understand how their data is stored and used. *One month to respond and cannot charge (typically)

Right to Rectification                        

Individuals have the right to update, supplement or correct incomplete or inaccurate data.

Right to Restrict Processing                        

Individuals may request that their data not be used for specific purposes.

Right to Data Portability                        

Individuals may request transfer of their data to another organisation or person for storage or processing.

Right to Erasure                          

When no compelling reason exists to retain such data, individuals may request the deletion of personal and supplemental data.

Right to Object                        

This relates to specific types of processing:

− Direct Marketing

− Processing based on legitimate interests or performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority

− Processing for research or statistical purposes.

Rights in Relation to Automated Decision Making and Profiling                        

Individuals have the right to request manual processing for any decisions made with their data.

 In the next blog post we will look at some practical next steps on the journey towards compliance.

We would like to thank David Normoyle, CEO, Spot Light Business Improvements for providing the contents for this blog post.

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Learning Zone 2020 - Take Your Business Global In 10 Easy Steps Step 5 - Cost Analysis

The latest instalment of our educational series Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps explains how to go about costing your expansion plans.

Expanding will open your product up to a new customer base and offer potential for increased profits – however, it is vital to ensure you fully comprehend what each necessary action will cost your business, and whether you can afford the outlay.

Below, we run through how to approach the cost analysis and highlight some key considerations to keep in mind as you do so.

Step Five – Carrying Out A Cost Analysis

If your market research has shown your expansion plans to be potentially lucrative, it can be tempting to jump in head-first without a full cost analysis. However, being able to properly finance your plans and understanding exactly how you will do so is incredibly important to avoid bad investment.

Understand your cash flow and assess the risk in laying out capital – think about the potential effects on your day-to-day business and be aware of any expenditure that could restrict your budgets for existing operations. Consider how strong the likelihood of a good return is on your investment. The model we suggest using is the Cost-Benefit Analysis – this helps you to compare the expected outlay of the expansion against its potential benefits.

How to approach your Cost Analysis:

1.      Take all the information and actions you have collated during the previous steps of this process, and assign a cost to every action you plan to make to facilitate your expansion.

2.      Next, consider the benefits of the expansion and assign a monetary value to each. Benefits could include things such as:

-        Revenue and sales increases from increased production, new use-cases for the product in the local market.

-        Intangible benefits, such as improved employee safety and morale, as well as customer satisfaction due to enhanced product offerings or faster delivery gained from logistical improvements.

-        Competitive advantage or market share gained as a result of the expansion.

3.      Finally, compare the value of the costs against the value of the benefits – if the benefits outweigh the costs, you have a strong argument to proceed with the expansion. Keep in mind how long it will take you to break even on the investment, also known as the payback period. If this will take years, will this place strain on your existing operations?

4.      Once you have a better picture of the cost of the project, make sure you have made contingency plans by factoring in a buffer amount in case of unforeseen circumstances that even your estimations cannot account for.

Key considerations:

Increased demand will likely increase your production levels- keep in mind the logistical and operational costs of fulfilling demand and working in your chosen location. Weigh this up against the potential for profit.

There may be elements of your business that need to be adapted to suit the marketplace or conditions of the new location you have chosen. Can you make and sell your product in the same way, and if not – how much will it cost to make the changes? The basic considerations to be taken into account are as follows:

 -        Pricing/margins; consider any new overheads. Can you sell your product for the same price locally? When researching your chosen country, hopefully you will have established whether your price-points fit in with local expectations – if you are having to make small reductions to ensure you are not priced out of the market, ensure you have accounted for this.

 -        Logistical or operational arrangements such as manufacture, transportation and storage of goods; do you need local premises and new employees? How much do you need to allow for this?

 -        Customer impacts – will your expansion impact existing customers and their purchases? What is the monetary value of this?

 -        Advertising and marketing strategy- How much will you have to outlay to bring your product into the consumer consciousness?

 In the next instalment of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps, we continue on the financial theme as we move to consider the fiscal, banking and taxation environment in your chosen country. This includes local financial and taxation legalities – doing the research before jumping into your expansion plans can avoid costly errors, fines and blacklisting. Join us next time for Step 6- Explore Local Financial/Banking Requirements to find out more.

Thanks again to Bassey Duke and Pinehub for featuring Mauve Group on the Pinehub blog.

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Learning Zone: Take Your Business Global In 10 Easy Steps – Step 4

Through the course of our educational series Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps, we have begun to build a global expansion plan that will allow organisations of any size to take their business to a new international market.

With the right guidance and support, global expansion needn’t be reserved for huge corporates – it can be the realm of SMEs too, provided the right planning is in place to keep the project manageable.

This week, I talk through building a strategy and timescale plan to help you set a flexible roadmap of measurable actions for your global expansion.

Step Four – Establish Your Actions and Timescales

The tenacious nature of global business means we want to be everywhere, and we want it to happen yesterday. However, a global expansion without a clear action and timing plan is a recipe for escalating costs, unmanageable workloads and general inefficiency.

The timescales for your overseas set-up will vary depending on the location and route you choose to take – as you will be aware, some countries are easier to do business in than others and every eventuality should be factored into your planning. As always, it is essential to bring your thinking back in line with the reason for your expansion. Without this framework constantly in mind, you will find it harder to see the bigger picture and then drill down into the detail.

With more knowledge of your target country gained from Step 3 and using your own understanding of your business and industry, try to plot every action you need to take to get there – however minute the detail might be. You can base this on more in-depth market research, recommendations from expert partners, local contacts and so on. This strategy of actions does not have to be finite; it will almost certainly evolve and shapeshift as you go through the process. As long as you factor time to review, reflect and improve, structuring your forward progress in this way will not hinder you.

With actions in place, you can then make estimations of timings for each of these actions. Estimations are fine as long as they are educated and contingencies are factored for potential timeframe increases. When creating a timing plan for a global expansion project, you need to look back to Steps 1-3 of this series and bear in mind the considerations that have been flagged through your initial research.

Considerations for Your Action and Timing Plan

1.      Factors flagged in your external analysis – look back at the research you did on the country you want to expand into and other external influences on your organisations, and map timeframes with these in mind. Educated research online or using the help of expert partners can help you allow for considerations such as the industry and local market environment, the ease of doing business in that location, and any local socio-political or economic impacts that could slow things down.

 2.      Factors flagged in your internal analysis - your product, your financial resources, your internal resources such as personnel and logistics - who will be stakeholders, who is working on the project and how will they manage these tasks around existing workloads. How you plan to operate in country – e.g. setting up an entity, selling solely online etc. What is the urgency of the requirement for you to enter the country – are you meeting immediate demand from a client?

 3.      Timing impacts and contingencies - when we are excited about a project, we often throw caution to potential risks and consider only the positive outcomes. However, preparing for risks and making contingencies in the event of longer timescales gives a greater chance of success for your international expansion plan. Some of the potential impacts to your timing estimations could be as follows:

 ·        Entity set-up – this can be a time-consuming process as you decide on the right type of entity, get your resources in place and file the necessary paperwork. Over on the Mauve Group blog, you can find a comprehensive guide to setting up a company overseas and the considerations you should make when doing so. Visit this link for more: https://mauvegroup.com/news/setting-up-overseas-for-hr-professionals

·        Immigration – as immigration is reliant on the speed of government departments and other external variables, you should factor in extra time for any such requirements. Business visas, work permits and residency permits might be required to allow expat staff to even visit the country (depending on nationality and location) and can require huge amounts of original supporting documentation.

·        Financial and fiscal considerations – ensuring you have the capabilities to invoice and pay is essential and should be factored in. Sourcing a good local bank and opening bank accounts for your business, making foreign exchange arrangements to minimise cost impacts on your business are key considerations.

·        Office and accommodation search – some entity types and locations require you to have physical premises to be considered a legitimate local business. Besides this, you may require office space in order to ease new and expat workers into their new working environment.

·        Expat employee settling in periods – how long will it take your expats to acclimatise to their new home and work environment? International relocations can be challenging on a personal and professional level, so they may not hit the ground running. You should consider this when assessing how soon you will see a return on your investment.

·        Hiring of new or local staff – from beginning to end, the average hire takes between 4-6 weeks for mid-level staff, and this timeframe could lengthen if you are in an unfamiliar job market.

·        HR and onboarding considerations – this includes consideration for obtaining local employment contract templates containing correct labour law provisions, transference from current contract for any existing employees, negotiation of terms, clarifying any legal issues with employment lawyers, registering staff for local payroll and on to company databases, provision of handbooks

 4.      Quality control/auditing your progress -at each key point in the process, allow time to reflect and evaluate to ensure you are doing things in the right way, and if you are not, ensure that you allow space in your timeframe to learn from any missteps. Setting aims for your global expansion makes your roadmap measurable, so ensure it is working for you in the most efficient way.

 5.      Further planning and strategy – it might seem incongruous to plan for planning, but constant re-strategising and future-thinking should be factored into the long-term projects of any successful organisation.

The success of a project relies on timing and resources – and in business, we cannot ignore the importance of proper costing of a new venture. As such, the next stage in the process of developing your international expansion plan is completing a cost analysis. Next week, we’ll be running through Step 5 of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps – Carrying Out A Cost Analysis

Thanks again to Bassey Duke and Pinehub for featuring Mauve Group on the Pinehub blog.

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Learning Zone: Demystifying GDPR

Hello, in this series of three posts we will be looking at data protection and how it impacts business owners, entrepreneurs and start-ups.  To kick off we will undertake a quick review of the GDPR and data protection, then a look at the Rights of data Subjects and finally a look at some practical next steps on the journey towards compliance.

What is the GDPR?

We have heard a lot about data protection and the GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation over the last few years, but what is it, and why should an entrepreneur, business owner or start up care about it?

Quick Overview

The GDPR Strengthens and unifies rules governing data collection from individuals within the European Union.  This makes it easier to do business across multiple countries as the laws are broadly similar.  Before the GDPR each country had its own laws.

The GDPR gives individuals full control over their personal data.  Ownership of personal data rests with the individual.

There are serious penalties for non-compliance, and this is the part most of us have heard about – there are two levels of fines; 2% or 4% of global turnover, €10M or €20M whichever is higher.

The fines piece came into effect in May 2018, but the regulation itself came into force two years earlier to give everyone time to get ready.

What changed exactly when the GDPR was introduced?

Although the regulation itself is detailed and complex with different 99 articles, a few highlights for businesses include:

·        Mandatory record keeping increased, so organisations need to get up to speed in this area.

·        Sanctions and fines, plus rights to individual compensation are more significant than before.

·        Strict Data Breach obligations are now in place for organisations.

·        The requirement to be transparent, to ensure only the minimum amount of data is collected and accountability has increased.

·        Individual rights have expanded – access requests turnaround time was shortened, for example.

·        Consent as a concept has been tightened up considerably.

·        The Data Protection Officer role has been strengthened.

·        The One Stop Shop concept was introduced - for organisations carrying out business across countries in the EU.

·        The concepts of Data Protection Impact Assessments and Data Protection by Design and by Default were launched.

·        Rules around outside EU Data Transfer were tightened substantially.

What are the benefits to businesses of the GDPR and data protection regulation?

Although it may be seen as bureaucratic and onerous, there are actually many solid advantages for businesses, and these include:

•        It helps to cut costs and red tape, as the rules are now unified.

•        The same protections apply everywhere in the EU, reducing complexity.

•        Customers confidence in a brand will improve, as businesses are seen to respect and protect their personal data.

•        Data security should increase too, as businesses put measures in place to protect personal data.

•        Data accuracy in a business should improve, as focus, inspection and housekeeping improves.

•        Innovation should also be stimulated within a business as personal data is prioritised and its value recognised.

 What are some of the terms and roles mentioned when we discuss data protection?

Customers and suppliers are regularly asking businesses to demonstrate compliance or to explain their data protection procedures. Here are a few of the main roles and terms commonly used:

The Controller

Typically, an Individual or Company. They control, compare or reviews Personal Data.

Personal Data

Any information relating to an identifiable natural person.

 The Processor

The Person or Organisation that processes data on behalf of the Controller.

The Data Subjects

Every person is a data subject.  You, me, customers, partners etc.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data is any information relating to an identifiable natural person where they can be identified directly.  In addition, if they can be indirectly identified from that information in combination with other information, it is considered to be personal data.

For example, if we were talking about “the man that lives in Dublin” that would not be personal data as we can’t identify an individual.  But if we instead said “the man that lives at 123 Main Street Dublin 25, that would be personal data, as we can identify someone.

Similarly, if we said, “the man that lives in Dublin, is 55 years of age, has red hair and drives a yellow Lamborghini” that could also be personal data, as that combination of data might identify someone.

What is Sensitive or Special Category Data?

Special category or sensitive personal data is held to a higher degree of protection, due to its sensitive nature.  It can relate to any of the following areas:

•        Racial or Ethnic Origin

•        Political Opinions

•        Religious or Philosophical Beliefs

•        Trade Union Membership

•        Data on health, sex life or sexual orientation

•        Biometric or genetic data

Data on criminal offenses or convictions is even more sensitive and is treated separately in the GDPR.

 In the next blog post we will look at the rights of the data subject, lawful basis and the principles of data processing.

Thanks to David Normoyle, CEO, Spotlight Business Improvement for providing us with the blog content.

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Take Your Business Global In 10 Easy Steps – Step 3

In the previous two instalments of our educational series Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps, I gave you the foundations upon which you can develop your expansion plans.

By ensuring you are fully acquainted with every aspect of your business as it currently stands and establishing aims and future plans, you can now get to know your country of expansion in the right context.

This week, we cover the importance of knowing your target location inside-out, and the questions you should ask yourself as you move into this next phase.

Step Three – Research Your Target Market

Building your business will always involve some level of risk. However, there are some areas of the expansion process where you can reduce risk by doing the right research. Become an expert on your chosen location; it is vital to understand the context of the location in which you plan to operate.

If you can, visit the country. Try to find out how locals do business through networking with associates with experience in that location, or consulting local partners. There may be certain cultural factors you need to be aware of. Some of your research can take place online, or through the use of an international market research partner – ask yourself the following questions:

Is there a customer for me in my chosen location?

Ensure your local market research places focus on the potential customer base – the people who will be buying your product are vital in ensuring your move into a new country is worthwhile and profitable. Who are the consumers? How much do they need your product? Can you compete with local competitors? Is there a true niche for your offered product or are you replicating?

With the support of your marketing team, you may wish to create consumer personas – these are character profiles based on the typical traits of different consumer sectors you are targeting. Personalising customers will bring the customer base alive to you and help to frame your local branding and marketing. Head over to Mauve’s recent post on sourcing new customers overseas  for more advice: https://mauvegroup.com/news/expanding-internationally

What is the local marketplace like?

Market research begins with the business conditions in the specific sector you will be operating within, and maps this against the wider context of the country and consumers, using data ad statistics to properly evaluate local conditions.

A good starting point is to carry out a PESTLE and SWOT analysis of the market using the skills you developed in Step One.  Explore, in local terms, the following:

Current trends

Economic and socio-political conditions

Market sector ��� generalised information and statistics about your product’s local market sector, including number of sales, number of customers available and so on.

Channel partners – these are organisations providing complementary products or services who could be utilised for their customer base.

Competitors

Who are my competitors?

Look at 3-5 competitors operating locally in the same space as you, in the context of the following headings:

-        Product, including branding;

-        Price;

-        Point of sales (e.g. online, stores, b2b etc);

-        Marketing and messaging;

-        Customers, including demographic information.

A robust of awareness of local competitors will make you aware of gaps in the market currently not being filled where you could grow your own niche.

What will I need to adapt about my business to suit the marketplace?

There may be elements of your business that need to be adapted to suit the marketplace or conditions of the new location you have chosen. Can you make and sell your product in the same way? Some basic considerations could be as follows:

-        Pricing/margins; consider any new overheads

-        Logistical or operational arrangements such as manufacture, transportation and storage of goods; do you need local premises and employees?

-        Location of support team/back office/customer service- do they speak the language?

-        Advertising and marketing strategy- is it culturally relevant to new foreign consumers?

With a full picture of the local marketplace now painted, you will be able to frame the rest of your planning in the right context – and should you require support from a professional company in order to carry out efficient market research, there are many expert partners available to do so.

You are now ready to move forward into the practical and logistical considerations of your global expansion; namely, establishing the timescales for implementation and delivery of your new overseas entity. Join us next time for Step 4 of Take Your Business Global in 10 Easy Steps – Establishing Timescales.

Thanks again to Bassey Duke and Pinehub for featuring Mauve Group on the Pinehub blog.