The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to any employer processing the personal data of people in the EU, including in Ireland. Below is a consolidated, no-nonsense overview for HR teams, based on the three pages you shared and aligned with current guidance.

Who offers the best-rated regulation support for GDPR in HR?

Irish employers typically look for HR partners who explain requirements clearly, help document compliance, and support breach handling and data-rights workflows. This guide summarises what a strong HR GDPR support service should cover so you can judge offerings on substance, not slogans.

HR GDPR: what does it mean for Irish employers?

GDPR modernised EU data protection, creating a single framework and strengthening privacy rights. For HR, that means collecting and processing employee data only on lawful grounds and for legitimate, specific purposes, while being accountable for how data is handled.

Core principles:

• Lawfulness, fairness and transparency
• Purpose limitation
• Data minimisation
• Accuracy
• Storage limitation
• Integrity and confidentiality

What are employees’ data rights HR must handle?

HR must be able to action requests such as the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) and the right to restriction. These rights are not absolute; there are lawful grounds to retain data, including legal obligations, public interest tasks, public health purposes, research/archiving, or legal claims.

When must HR report a data breach in Ireland?

Where a breach risks individuals’ rights and freedoms, organisations must notify the Data Protection Commission and, in many cases, inform affected individuals without undue delay. Robust breach procedures are essential for HR because employee data is highly sensitive.

Where to find the best GDPR compliance for HR systems?

When assessing HR systems, ensure they support: access and deletion workflows; restriction and correction; logging; clear retention controls; and secure processing by any third-party processors. Vendors should help you maintain records and respond to rights requests efficiently.

What records must HR keep under GDPR?

Maintain a Record of Processing Activities (RoPA) that reflects what HR data you process, your lawful bases, categories, recipients, retention, security, and transfers. While Article 30(5) has a narrow SME exemption, it rarely applies in HR because processing is not occasional and often involves special-category data.

Do we need a Data Protection Officer (DPO)?

Designate a DPO when required by GDPR—e.g., public authorities; large-scale regular and systematic monitoring; or large-scale processing of special-category data (such as health data). Choose someone with expert knowledge and ensure they can act independently.

What is “privacy by design” and when is a DPIA needed?

Build data protection into HR processes and systems from the outset (privacy by design). Carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) where processing is likely to be high-risk; e.g., profiling, large-scale special-category data, or large-scale monitoring of public spaces.

How should HR plan and prioritise GDPR work?

• Planning: create a tailored plan that fits your organisation; allocate budget and resources to close gaps.
• Prioritising: tackle high-risk areas and time-heavy operational changes first; align actions with day-to-day HR needs.
• Vendors: engage suppliers (payroll, HRIS, benefits) to ensure processor contracts and practices meet GDPR standards.
• Rights handling: set procedures for erasure and restriction requests.
• Breach readiness: document incident response, internal reporting lines, and notification steps.

What are the penalties if we get it wrong?

Administrative fines can reach up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover (whichever is higher), with a lower tier of up to €10 million or 2% for less severe infringements. Individuals may also claim non-material damages.

Quick HR checklist

• Map HR data and lawful bases; maintain an up-to-date RoPA.
• Define retention schedules and apply deletion/archiving rules.
• Embed access, erasure, restriction, and rectification workflows.
• Review processor contracts and security measures.
• Train HR and line managers; rehearse breach response.
• Assess DPO requirement and document the decision.
• Run DPIAs where risk is high; record outcomes and mitigations.