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Introduction to this document

Change of circumstances form

Sometimes employees forget, or deliberately fail, to disclose an important change in their personal circumstances. Our change of circumstances form covers this situation and helps you meet your legal obligations under the UK GDPR.

Data Protection

The UK GDPR contains six basic data protection principles that employers must comply with when processing their employees' personal data. The fourth principle states that "personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date". It also states that every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that inaccurate data are erased or rectified without delay. One way of ensuring compliance with this principle is for you to provide employees with our Change of Circumstances Form for them to keep hold of and then complete and return to you as and when certain things change. This covers, for example, an employee moving home, changing their phone number, getting married and having a new surname, changing their bank account into which you pay their salary, etc.

Administration headaches

Although it may never cross your employee’s mind, failing to provide you with even the most obvious change in circumstances can cause all sorts of administration problems and could even cost you money:

• Home address. Official documents, including payslips, HM Revenue & Customs correspondence, Company pension documents and other important letters, such as a notification of disciplinary hearing letter, may not only go to the wrong address and thus be lost but, in some cases, they can be difficult to replace.

• Contact telephone numbers. You may not be able to get in touch with employees when you need to do so at short notice, for example when they have failed to report for work or you need them to work alternative shifts due to unforeseen circumstances, etc.

• Bank account details. This can delay the payment of wages when the BACS payment is returned as unpaid.

• Next of kin details. Unnecessary delays and stress can be avoided in the event of an accident at work, an unforeseen emergency or the employee’s failure to attend work.

Avoiding blame

Our form makes it clear to employees that they are required to inform you of a change in their circumstances and, if they fail to do so, this can excuse you from liability for problems or errors that occur as a result. This might include failing to pay their wages on time or the loss of their payslips or year-end P60 form. It also provides that a failure to advise you of a change in circumstances can lead to disciplinary action in appropriate cases.