1. Introduction

As an employer, Qodea must meet its contractual, statutory and administrative obligations. We are committed to ensuring that the personal data of our employees is handled in accordance with the principles set out in the Commissioner’s Guide to Data Protection.

This privacy notice outlines what to expect when Qodea collects personal information during the recruitment process. It applies to all individuals applying for roles at Qodea, including permanent, temporary, agency, contract, and internship positions. The type and amount of information we process will depend on the role applied for and your personal circumstances.

We use Workable, an online recruitment platform, to manage our hiring process. When you apply, the information you provide is processed by Workable on our behalf. Workable only handles your personal data according to our instructions and does not use it for its own purposes.

Qodea is the controller for this information unless this notice specifically states otherwise.

2. How is your personal information collected?

2.1 We get information about you from the following sources:

• Directly from you: This includes the details you provide when you apply for a role through our Workable platform, such as your CV, application form, and cover letter. This also covers any information you share during interviews, including through our video interview feature.
• Application documents: CV, cover letter, and application forms.
• References: Information provided by your designated referees, with your consent.
• Right to work documentation: Evidence of your eligibility to work in the relevant country.
• Equal opportunities and diversity data: Information you voluntarily provide for monitoring purposes (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability status).
• Publicly available sources: Workable's technology allows us to link the data you provide to us with other publicly available information about you, such as your profiles on LinkedIn and other social media sites.
• Third parties: Information from recruitment agencies or other third-party services. Additionally, Workable's tools may help us find your personal data (like your CV) in various databases, and we may receive your information from a third party who recommends you as a candidate.
• Background checks: Information from third-party services that conduct background checks (e.g., criminal record checks), where permitted by law and relevant to the role.
• Video interviews: If your interview is conducted using a video interview feature, we will collect and store that video.

2.2 Interview transcription technology

To support our recruitment process and ensure our interviewers can focus on the conversation, we may use technology to assist with the following:

• Interview Notes: During interviews, with your consent, we may use Gemini to help with note-taking. This technology captures information from the call to create interview notes for legitimate purposes. Any data captured in this manner will be subject to our data retention and storage policies.
• Interview Transcription and Feedback: We may use a tool like Metaview for interview transcription and to help summarise feedback. Metaview is a recruitment-specific tool with capabilities designed to aid our hiring team.

We want to be clear that AI tools like Gemini and Metaview are used to assist with administrative tasks and to help our staff, but they do not make hiring decisions. All hiring decisions are made by a human.

3. Lawful basis for processing your personal data

3.1  Why we collect your information: We collect and use your personal data to recruit staff for our business. This is considered a legitimate interest, which is our lawful basis for processing your information.

3.2  How we use your information:

• To consider your application for the specific role you applied for.
• To assess your suitability for other job openings that may arise.
• To communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.
• To enhance the information you provide with data from third-party sources (like professional networking sites).
• To help us find appropriate candidates for our job openings.
• To assist our service providers, like Workable and other job sites you may have used, in improving their services.

4.  How long we keep your personal data

We will keep your personal data for 12 months.

Your personal information will be deleted upon one of the following events:

• You (or someone authorised by you) delete the information directly; or
• We receive a written request from you (or someone authorised by you) asking us to delete it.

5. Do we use any data processors? 

To support our HR, operational, and business functions, Qodea shares personal data with carefully selected third-party service providers who act as data processors. These processors are contractually required to handle personal data securely and in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

6. Your rights in relation to this processing

As an individual, you have specific rights under UK/EU data protection law regarding the personal information we collect and process about you during your employment at Qodea. These rights are designed to give you greater control over how your data is used and to ensure transparency in our processing activities.

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data – You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction – If any of your personal data is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct it.
• Request erasure – You may ask us to delete your personal data where there is no lawful reason for us to continue processing it.
• Object to processing – You can object to certain types of processing, such as direct marketing or processing based on legitimate interests.
• Request restriction of processing – You can ask us to suspend processing of your personal data in specific circumstances.
• Data portability – Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format and transfer it to another controller.

Please note that some rights may be subject to limitations or exemptions under data protection law, particularly where data is required for legal compliance or legitimate business purposes.

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact Qodea’s People Team. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection, if you believe your rights have been infringed. If you wish to lodge a complaint and reside in the EU, you can do so with the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the EU’s supervisory authority for data protection.

7. Overseas transfers

If it is necessary to transfer staff personal data outside of the EU, you can expect a similar degree of protection in respect of your personal information.