Data subject access requests (DSARs), often the responsibility of HR, are both costly and time-consuming. A study from The DPO Centre found six million adults had considered submitting a DSAR. The pandemic, too, saw an influx of pre-litigation DSARs to support employment tribunals owing to a rise in redundancies. A survey of UK-based DPOs from the UK Data Protection Index revealed an average of 10.85 DSARs per month, peaking at 18.04 in December 2020 – a 66% increase. Treating a DSAR proactively is key. By using data retention strategies and automated processes to do much of the groundwork, such as verifying requests, it’s possible to dramatically reduce processing times.
