Education is taken for granted these days. It is viewed as a social norm that leads to career advancement. The demand for qualified people is constantly growing, which is why our goal is to continually improve and further our education. We strive to deepen our qualifications in order to improve our employability, foster personal development, and enhance our quality of life. That is why we participated in the “DPO Bootcamp IV” course from June 30 to July 1, 2021. What was this course actually about, and what did we gain from it? The two-day on-site workshop with experts focused on labor law, the GDPR, and e-privacy. It provided us with an up-to-date perspective on specific legal regulations related to the GDPR, practical solutions, information on current case law and its application in practice, as well as the impacts on it.
The workshop was led by Tatiana Valentová, M.A., an expert and specialist in the field of personal data protection. She gained her extensive experience primarily as Chief Inspector of the Office for Personal Data Protection of the Slovak Republic and Director of the Inspection Department. Thanks to her many years of experience in the field of information protection and security, specifically in the role of security analyst, she has experience with the practical application of security measures designed to protect information, as well as with the application of legislation and international standards in this field. He publishes on the topic of personal data protection and collaborates with several international organizations in the areas of privacy protection and auditing. She speaks at conferences and leads seminars and workshops focused on personal data protection, security, and the implications for the rights and freedoms of individuals. She is the author of a practical commentary on the GDPR.
The guests were Assoc. Prof. JUDr. Marek Švec, PhD., LL.M., who served as vice-chair of the Minister of Labor’s advisory commission on extending the binding effect of higher-level collective agreements and as a member of the tripartite commission on amendments to the Collective Bargaining Act, and who also participated in the preparation of further amendments to labor law regulations. He currently serves as an attorney, Secretary General, and associate professor in the field of labor law, and Mgr. Ján Golais, who, with his extensive experience and more than 15 years of practice, works in the telecommunications and IT sectors, focusing on external relations security at companies such as: T-Mobile Slovensko, Slovak Telekom, a.s., and Eurotel Bratislava, a.s. He has extensive experience with the practical implementation of legislation governing privacy protection in the business environment, as well as with providing expert advice and implementing measures in the areas of data processing, information security, and industrial security. He currently serves as a pro bono consultant and representative of business interest groups and third-sector organizations on matters of privacy protection and the rights of data subjects.
The course focused on learning about an employer’s obligations when monitoring employees, what monitoring actually entails, how an employer’s obligations differ under the Labor Code and the GDPR, and how collective labor relations should be established in the context of intrusions into employees’ privacy. We also learned about the difference between a monitoring mechanism and surveillance. Last but not least, the current situation regarding COVID-19 was also covered, during which we were provided with information on what the Labor Code and the GDPR say about it, the resulting obligations, as well as the employer’s relationship with their employees and the right to protect their lives and health.
We are glad that we can continually enrich our knowledge with new information and participate in various training sessions, seminars, and various educational activities, which enable us to become even better and more experienced advisors and reliable experts for you.
