This document sets out in detail the policy of Insolvency Support Services Ltd (“the Company”) on the protection of information relating to staff members, workers, contractors, volunteers and interns (referred to as Staff Members) and those applying for such positions (Job Applicants). Protecting the confidentiality and integrity of personal data is a critical responsibility that the Company takes seriously at all times. The Company will ensure that data is always processed fairly, in accordance with the provisions of relevant data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.
Data processing is any activity that involves the use of personal data. It includes obtaining, recording or holding information, or carrying out any operation or set of operations, including organising, amending, retrieving, using, disclosing, erasing or destroying it. Processing also includes transmitting or transferring personal data to third parties.
Personal data is any information by which a living person to whom the data relates can be identified. Personal data can be factual (for example, a name, email address, location or date of birth) or an opinion about that person’s actions or behaviour, such as a disciplinary record. There are also “special categories” of more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection. Information about criminal convictions is also afforded higher levels of protection.
The Company necessarily collects personal data about its Staff Members and Job Applicants and this Privacy Notice explains how we treat that personal data and your rights in relation to it.
This document is the Company’s Staff Member and Job Applicant Privacy Notice, it explains your rights in detail. This notice, together with the information contained in the Data Processing Register, sets out the information the Company holds about Staff Members, the purpose for which this data is held and the lawful basis on which it is held. The Company may process personal information without Staff Members’ knowledge or consent, in compliance with this policy, where this is required or permitted by law.
The Staff Member and Job Applicant Privacy Notice and the Data Processing Register will be made available to Staff Members upon joining the Company and to job applicants by way of a link in any job advertisement. If the purpose for processing any piece of data about Staff Members should change, the company will update the Staff Member and Job Applicant Privacy Notice and Data Processing Register with the new purpose(s) and the lawful basis for processing the data and will notify all Staff Members by email.
In processing Staff Members’ and Job Applicants’ personal data, the following principles will be adhered to. Personal data will be:
The Company will collect personal information about Staff Members and Job Applicants through the application and recruitment process, either directly from candidates or sometimes from an employment agency or background check provider. The Company may sometimes collect additional information from third parties such as referees or former employers, credit reference agencies or other background check agencies.
From time to time, the Company may collect additional personal information in the course of job-related activities throughout the period of employment. If the Company requires to obtain additional personal information, this policy will be updated, or Staff Members will receive a separate privacy notice setting out the purpose and lawful basis for processing the data.
We may collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about you:
In limited circumstances, we may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:
Personal information will only be processed when there is a lawful basis for doing so. Most commonly, the Company will use personal information in the following circumstances:
The Company may also use personal information in the following situations, which are likely to be rare:
A list of each category of personal data we hold and the lawful basis we believe the Company to have for processing it may be found in the Data Processing Register.
The situations in which we envisage using your personal information are as follows:
Some of the above grounds for processing will overlap and there may be several grounds which justify our use of your personal information.
If you fail to provide certain information when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have entered into with you (such as paying you or providing a benefit), or we may be prevented from complying with our legal obligations (such as to ensure the health and safety of our workers).
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal information without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
Some categories of personal data are considered by law to be particularly sensitive and are therefore classed as “special categories” of personal data. These relate to a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or similar beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health conditions, sexual life, sexual orientation, biometric or genetic data. This type of data is afforded additional protection.
What constitutes special categories of data and how it is processes and protected is explained in greater detail in our Special Category Data Policy.
In summary, the Company may process special categories of personal information in the following circumstances:
Less commonly, the Company may process this type of information where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect a staff member’s interests (or someone else’s interests) and the staff member is not capable of giving consent, or where a staff member has already made the information public.
The Company will typically use special categories of personal information in the following ways:
Additionally, the Company may occasionally use sensitive personal information in the following ways:
The Company envisages that it may hold information about criminal convictions where these are relevant to the performance of the functions of an insolvency Office Holder. If it becomes necessary to do so, the Company will only use this information where it has a legal basis for processing the information. This will usually be where such processing is necessary to carry out the Company’s obligations. Less commonly, the Company may use information relating to criminal convictions where it is necessary in relation to legal claims, where it is necessary to protect a Staff Member’s interests (or someone else’s interests) and the Staff Member is not capable of giving consent, or where the Staff Member has already made the information public.
The Company will only collect information about criminal convictions if it is appropriate given the nature of the role of the employee and where it is legally able to do so. Relevant convictions would typically be those relating to theft, fraud or dishonesty by a Staff Member and/or that would otherwise bring discredit upon the Company and/or undermine the Company’s ability to perform functions associated with the professional practice of insolvency administration.
Where appropriate, the Company will collect information about criminal convictions as part of the recruitment process or may require staff members to disclose information about criminal convictions during the course of employment.
Information about unsuccessful Job Applicants is retained for 6 months from the date of the application, unless you specifically request its destruction.
The retention period for information about Staff Members depends upon the nature of the information. The Company will only retain Staff Members’ personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes it was collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements. Details of retention periods for different aspects of personal information are set out in the Data Processing Register and Data Retention and Destruction of Records Policy.
When determining the appropriate retention period for personal data, the Company will consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of personal data, the purposes for which the personal data is processed, whether the Company can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
In some circumstances the Company may anonymise personal information so that it can no longer be associated with individual Staff Members, in which case the Company may use such information without further notice to Staff Members. After the data retention period has expired, the Company will securely destroy Staff Members’ personal information.
The Company does not require consent from Staff Members to process most types of personal data. In addition, the Company will not usually need consent to use special categories of personal data or information about criminal convictions in order to carry out legal obligations or exercise specific rights in the field of employment law.
In limited circumstances, for example, if a medical report is sought for the purposes of managing sickness absence, Staff Members may be asked for written consent to process sensitive data. In those circumstances, Staff Members will be provided with full details of the information sought and the reason it is needed, so that Staff Members can carefully consider whether to consent. It is not a condition of staff members’ contracts that Staff Members agree to any request for consent.
Where Staff Members have provided consent to the collection, processing and transfer of personal information for a specific purpose, they have the right to withdraw consent for that specific processing at any time. Once the Company has received notification of withdrawal of consent it will no longer process information for the purpose or purposes originally agreed to, unless it has another legitimate basis for doing so in law.
Automated decision-making takes place when an electronic system uses personal information to make a decision without human intervention. The Company does not envisage that any decisions will be taken about Staff Members using automated means, however staff members will be notified if this position changes.
The Company has put in place appropriate security measures to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. Details of these measures are contained in our Confidentiality and Data Security Policy.
In summary, access to personal information is limited to those Staff Members, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process personal information on the Company’s instructions and are subject to a duty of confidentiality. The Company expects Staff Members handling personal data to take steps to safeguard personal data of staff members in line with this and the Confidentiality and Data Security Policy and disciplinary action or termination of contract may arise from a breach of confidentiality and/or data security.
The Company requires third parties to respect the security of Staff Member data and to treat it in accordance with the law. Personal data about Staff Members will only be shared if it is lawful and necessary.
The Company may also share Staff Member data with third-party service providers where it is necessary to administer the working relationship with Staff Members or where the Company has a legitimate interest in doing so. The following activities are carried out by third-party service providers:
| Name of company / Organisation | Service provided |
|---|---|
| Amber Accounting Services | Payroll |
| Amber Accounting Services | Pension administration |
| Turnkey Infrastructure Solutions Limited | IT support services |
| Eden Fyfe Accounts Limited | Accountancy services |
Occasionally, we may share your personal information with other third parties, for example in the context of the possible sale or restructuring of the business. We may also need to share your personal information with a regulator or to otherwise comply with the law.
We do not anticipate the transfer of your data outside the EU. The Company holds personal data in its physical files and on its internal servers, which are located at the Company’s registered office. Our servers are subject to off-site backup to a cloud service provider which is based within the EEA (in the Republic of Ireland). You will be notified in the event the Company intends to transfer your data outside of the EU.
The Company will conduct regular reviews of the information held by it to ensure the relevancy of the information it holds. Staff Members are under a duty to inform the Company of any changes to their current circumstances. Where a Staff Member has concerns regarding the accuracy of personal data held by the Company, the Staff Member should contact the Office Manager to request an amendment to the data.
Under certain circumstances, Staff Members have the right to:
If a Staff Member wishes to make a request on any of the above grounds, they should contact their Line Manager, in writing. Please note that, depending on the nature of the request, the Company may have good grounds for refusing to comply. If that is the case, the Staff Member will be given an explanation by the Company.
Staff members will not normally have to pay a fee to access personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, the Company may charge a reasonable fee if the request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, the Company may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.
The Company may need to request specific information from the Staff Member to help confirm their identity and ensure the right to access the information (or to exercise any of the other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.
Given the size of the Company, it has not been deemed necessary to formally appoint a Data Protection Officer. Oversight of data privacy throughout the Company and its operations rests collectively with the Directors.
The Directors are tasked with overseeing compliance with the Staff Member and Job Applicant Privacy Notice. If Staff Members have any questions about this policy or how the Company handles personal information of employees, they should contact their Line Manager in the first instance. If they are dissatisfied with the response they receive (or no response is received) staff members should contact any of the Directors.
Staff Members have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues.
The Company has put in place procedures to deal with any data security breach and will notify Staff Members and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where legally required to do so. Details of these measures are contained in the Company’s Data Breach Policy.
In certain circumstances, the Company will be required to notify regulators of a data security breach within 72 hours of the breach. Therefore, if a Staff Member becomes aware of a data security breach, or suspects a data breach may have occurred, it is imperative that they report it immediately, in accordance with the Data Breach Policy.
The Company will have regard to the principles of this policy and relevant legislation when designing or implementing new systems or processes (known as “privacy by design”). The importance of data privacy has already been reflected and incorporated into the following policies, processes and notices, which are available to all within the Staff area:
All staff members, particularly those tasked with regularly handling personal data of colleagues or third parties, have responsibility for ensuring that processing meets the standards set out in this and other relevant policies. All staff members should familiarize themselves with and observe the above policies, and any others that may be implemented from time to time.
Staff members are invited to raise any concerns that have about the privacy of their own data, or the data of colleagues, customers or any other persons with whom the Company interacts, with their Line Manager, or any of the Directors.
Any breach of the above rules will be taken seriously and, depending on the severity of the matter, may constitute gross misconduct which could lead to summary termination of employment.
The Company reserves the right to update this privacy notice at any time, and we will provide you with a new privacy notice when we make any substantial updates. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.
If you have any questions about this privacy notice, please contact your Line Manager or any of the Directors.
