At The Advocate Group, our core values have been built around the importance of transparency and collaboration. As such, we are committed to open communication and the protection of your privacy. We will ensure that all information submitted to us via various channels (including website, written correspondence, email or meetings with our Consultants is only used for the purposes set out in this policy. We have updated our policies in line with new General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) laws to make it easier for you to understand how we collect, store and handle your data.
We are a recruitment business which provides talent solutions to our clients and work-finding services to our candidates. We must process personal data (including sensitive personal data) so that we can provide these services – in doing so, The Advocate Group acts as a data controller.
You may give your personal details to the The Advocate Group directly, such as on an application or registration form or via our website, or we may collect them from another source such as a jobs board or social media platform (LinkedIn). The Advocate Group must have a legal basis for processing your personal data. For the purposes of providing you with work-finding services and/or information relating to roles relevant to you we will only use your personal data in accordance with the terms of the following statement.
1. Collection and use of personal data
a. Purpose of processing and legal basis
The Advocate Group will collect your personal data (which may include sensitive personal data) and will process your personal data for the purposes of providing you with work-finding services. The legal bases we rely upon to offer these services to you are:
• Consent
• Legitimate interest
• Legal obligation
• Contractual obligation
b. Legitimate interest
Where the The Advocate Group has relied on a legitimate interest to process your personal data our legitimate interests is/are as follows:
• Providing work finding/recruitment services
c. Trusted third parties
The Advocate Group will share your personal information and, where necessary, your sensitive personal information with trusted third parties where we have retained them to provide services that you or our clients have requested, such as:
• verification of details you have provided from third party sources; and/or
• psychometric evaluations or skills tests.
• employment reference checking;
• qualification checking;
• criminal reference checking (as required);
We may also share your personal information with third parties who perform functions on our behalf and provide services to us such as:
• data storage
• payroll (If completing a temporary assignment)
• professional advisors;
• data analytics providers;
• IT consultants carrying out testing and development work on our business technology systems;
• research and mailing houses; and/or
• function co-ordinators.
d. Statutory/contractual requirement
If You wish to receive our recruitment services, you are obliged to provide the personal data and if you do not the consequences of failure to provide the data are:
• We will be unable to provide you with work finding/recruitment services.
2. Overseas Transfers
The Advocate Group may transfer only the information you provide to us to countries outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) for the purposes of providing you with work-finding services. We will take steps to ensure adequate protections are in place to ensure the security of your information. The EEA comprises the EU member states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
3. Data retention
The Advocate Group will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary. Different laws require us to keep different data for different periods of time.
The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, require us to keep work-seeker records for at least one year from (a) the date of their creation or (b) after the date on which we last provide you with work-finding services.
We must also keep your payroll records, holiday pay, sick pay and pensions auto-enrolment records for as long as is legally required by HMRC and associated national minimum wage, social security and tax legislation.
Where The Advocate Group has obtained your consent to process your personal/and sensitive personal data we will do so in line with our retention policy (a copy of which can be found on our website). Upon expiry of that period the Company will seek further consent from you. Where consent is not granted the Company will cease to process your personal data and sensitive personal data.
4. Your rights
Please be aware that you have the following data protection rights:
• The right to be informed about the personal data The Advocate Group processes on you;
• The right of access to the personal data The Advocate Group processes on you;
• The right to rectification of your personal data;
• The right to erasure of your personal data in certain circumstances;
• The right to restrict processing of your personal data;
• The right to data portability in certain circumstances;
• The right to object to the processing of your personal data that was based on a public or legitimate interest;
• The right not to be subjected to automated decision making and profiling; and
• The right to withdraw consent at any time.
Where you have consented to the Company processing your personal data an sensitive personal data you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us on 0161 639 0080 or info@advocate-group.co.uk.
5. Complaints or queries
If you wish to complain about this privacy notice or any of the procedures set out in it please contact us 0161 639 0080 or info@advocate-group.co.uk.
You also have the right to raise concerns with Information Commissioner’s Office on 0303 123 1113 or at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/, or any other relevant supervisory authority should your personal data be processed outside of the UK, if you believe that your data protection rights have not been adhered to.