Legal & compliance

Privacy Policy

Last updated 11 May 2026

The policy sets out the different areas where user privacy is concerned and outlines the obligations & requirements of the users, the website and website owners. Furthermore, the way this website processes, stores and protects user data and information will also be detailed within this policy.

The Website

This website and its owners take a proactive approach to user privacy and ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of its users throughout their visiting experience. This website complies to all UK national laws and requirements for user privacy.

Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies to better the users experience while visiting the website. Where applicable this website uses a cookie control system allowing the user on their first visit to the website to allow or disallow the use of cookies on their computer / device. This complies with recent legislation requirements for websites to obtain explicit consent from users before leaving behind or reading files such as cookies on a user’s computer / device.

The cookies in use to deliver Google Analytics service are used to store information, such as what time your current visit occurred, whether you have been to the site before, and what site referred you to the web page. These cookies contain no personally identifiable information, but they will use your computer’s IP address to know from where in the world you are accessing the Internet. Google stores the information collected by these cookies on servers in the United States. Google may transfer this information to third parties were required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf.

Opt-Out

In order to provide website visitors with more choice on how data is collected by Google Analytics, Google has developed the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The addon communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to stop data being sent to Google Analytics. The Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on does not affect usage of the website in any other way.

http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=None

For more information on the usage of cookies by Google Analytics please see the Google website:

http://www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html

Disabling Cookies

If you would like to restrict the use of cookies you can control this in your Internet browser. Links to advice on how to do this for the most popular Internet browsers are provided below for convenience and will be available for the Internet browser of your choice either online or via the software help (normally available via key F1).

Contact & Communication

Users contacting this website and/or its owners do so at their own discretion and provide any such personal details requested at their own risk. Your personal information is kept private and stored securely until a time it is no longer required or has no use, as detailed in the Data Protection Act 1998. Every effort has been made to ensure a safe and secure form-to-email submission process but advise users using such form-to-email processes that they do so at their own risk.

This website and its owners use any information submitted to provide you with further information about the products / services they offer or to assist you in answering any questions or queries you may have submitted. This includes using your details to subscribe you to any email newsletter program the website operates but only if this was made clear to you and your express permission was granted when submitting any form-to-email process. Or whereby you, the consumer, have previously purchased from or enquired about purchasing from the company a product or service that the email newsletter relates to. This is by no means an entire list of your user rights in regard to receiving email marketing material. Your details are not passed on to any third parties.

Email Newsletter

This website operates an email newsletter program, used to inform subscribers about products and services supplied by this website. Users can subscribe through an online automated process should they wish to do so but do so at their own discretion. Some subscriptions may be manually processed through prior written agreement with the user. Subscriptions are taken in compliance with UK Spam Laws detailed in the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

All personal details relating to subscriptions are held securely and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. No personal details are passed on to third parties nor shared with companies / people outside of the company that operates this website. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you may request a copy of personal information held about you by this website’s email newsletter program. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to the business address at the bottom of this policy.

Email marketing campaigns published by this website or its owners may contain tracking facilities within the actual email. Subscriber activity is tracked and stored in a database for future analysis and evaluation. Such tracked activity may include the opening of emails, forwarding of emails, the clicking of links within the email content, times, dates and frequency of activity (this is by no means a comprehensive list).

This information is used to refine future email campaigns and supply the user with more relevant content based around their activity. In compliance with UK Spam Laws and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 subscribers are given the opportunity to unsubscribe at any time through an automated system. This process is detailed at the footer of each email campaign. If an automated un-subscription system is unavailable clear instructions on how to unsubscribe will be detailed instead.

External Links

Although this website only looks to include quality, safe and relevant external links, users are advised to adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned throughout this website. The owners of this website cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite their best efforts. Users should therefore note they click on external links at their own risk and this website, and its owners, cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.

Social Media Platforms

Communication, engagement and actions taken through external social media platforms that this website and its owners participate on are custom to the terms and conditions as well as the privacy policies held with each social media platform respectively.

Users are advised to use social media platforms wisely and communicate / engage upon them with due care and caution in regard to their own privacy and personal details. This website nor its owners will ever ask for personal or sensitive information through social media platforms and encourage users wishing to discuss sensitive details to contact them through primary communication channels such as by telephone or email.

This website may use social sharing buttons which help share web content directly from web pages to the social media platform in question. Users are advised before using such social sharing buttons that they do so at their own discretion and note that the social media platform may track and save your request to share a web page respectively through your social media platform account.

Shortened Links in Social Media

This website and its owners through their social media platform accounts may share web links to relevant web pages. By default some social media platforms shorten lengthy URLs (web addresses). Users are advised to take caution and good judgement before clicking any shortened URLs published on social media platforms by this website and its owners. Despite the best efforts to ensure only genuine URLs are published, many social media platforms are prone to spam and hacking and therefore this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any shortened links.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

You can contact our Data Protection Officer on mail@oa.co.uk.

Everyone here at OA is familiar with the GDPR legislation, and exactly what their personal responsibilities are. Anyone joining the company is trained internally on induction day, and then at regular intervals of 2 years afterwards.

If there is a change in legislation, then we ensure that everyone is fully up to date on the latest points. You do have the right to be forgotten, and no longer receive any communication from us. You can do this via our contact form.

You can rest assured that absolutely no personal data is transferred outside of the EU under any circumstances (unless prior written consent is given by the person whose data is to be transferred).

When processing any data we abide by the following points — the processing of any data is lawful, fair and we are fully transparent about what the data is being used for:

  • We only collect data that is necessary for normal business operation
  • All data is kept accurate and up to date
  • Data is not kept for any longer than is reasonably necessary
  • All data is kept safe and secure at all times
  • If you have enquired about our services, then we have a legitimate interest in contacting you again to follow up on your enquiry

If at this point you no longer wish to hear from us then we would welcome it if you could inform us of this, and we will no longer contact you and remove your data. As outlined above, all data is held securely, but in the unlikely event of a security breach, we do have a notification process in place.

If you would like to find out what data we hold about you, please use our contact form with a subject of “DSAR Request”.

This policy may be updated from time to time, so please ensure you check it regularly.

Privacy Notice

Document DP5A — Topic: Data Protection

The Company is a recruitment business which provides work-finding services to its clients and work-seekers. The Company must process personal data (including sensitive personal data) so that it can provide these services — in doing so, the Company acts as a data controller.

You may give your personal details to the Company 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. The Company 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 Company 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 Company has relied on a legitimate interest to process your personal data our legitimate interests are as follows:

  • To provide Work Finding Services
  • To provide payroll services
  • To maintain our business relationship throughout the lifetime of that relationship
  • To enable us to answer any queries you may have
  • To market our products and services to you; to keep you updated on any relevant industry news; to update you on any events, promotions and competitions, reports, and any other information we feel may be relevant or of interest to you. You retain the right to unsubscribe from such communications at any time
  • To fulfil contractual obligations with you

c. Recipients of data

The Company will process your personal data and/or sensitive personal data with the following recipients:

  • Intermediaries (Umbrella Company)
  • Client or Hirer
  • HMRC
  • Payroll Department
  • Administration and processing of work-seekers’ personal data for the purposes of providing work-finding services, including processing using software solution providers and back-office support

d. Statutory / contractual requirement

Your personal data is required by law and/or a contractual requirement (e.g. our client may require this personal data), and/or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract.

You are obliged to provide the personal data and if you do not the consequences of failure to provide the data are:

  • Non-payment / incorrect payment for work-assignment(s) completed
  • Non or incorrect payment of NI contributions
  • Risk of identity fraud

2. Data retention

The Company 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 pension’s auto-enrolment records for as long as is legally required by HMRC and associated national minimum wage, social security, and tax legislation.

Personal data:

  • Your name
  • Date of birth
  • Contact details, including telephone number, email address and postal address
  • Experience, training and qualifications
  • CV
  • National insurance number
  • Right to work document

Sensitive personal data:

  • Disability / health condition relevant to the role
  • Criminal conviction

We will do so in line with our retention policy (a copy of which is available on request). 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.

3. Your rights

Please be aware that you have the following data protection rights:

  • The right to be informed about the personal data the Company processes on you
  • The right of access to the personal data the Company 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
  • The right to withdraw consent at any time

Where you have consented to the Company processing your personal data and/or sensitive personal data you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time by contacting:

Charlotte Ball, Compliance & Operations Administrator
Email: charlotte.b@weareoa.co.uk

4. Complaints or queries

If you wish to complain about this privacy notice or any of the procedures set out in it please contact:

Charlotte Ball, Compliance & Operations Administrator
Email: charlotte.b@weareoa.co.uk

You also have the right to raise concerns with the 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.

Authorised and Approved By
Laura Clark, Chief Executive Officer | OA Group
Signed: 6th January 2025