Recruitment Privacy Notice
DATA POLICY AND PRIVACY NOTICE: EMPLOYEE, VOLUNTEER AND TRUSTEE RECRUITMENT
INTRODUCTION
1.1 This document sets out Rape Crisis Scotland’s policy on the protection of information relating to applicants for jobs and volunteer or trustee roles at Rape Crisis Scotland.
1.2 Protecting the confidentiality and integrity of personal data is a critical responsibility that RCS takes seriously at all times.
1.3 RCS will ensure that data is always processed in accordance with the provisions of relevant data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
KEY DEFINITIONS
2.1 Data processing
Data processing is any activity that involves the use of personal data. It includes obtaining, recording or holding the data, or carrying out any operation or set of operations on the data including organising, amending, retrieving, using, disclosing, erasing or destroying it. Processing also includes transmitting or transferring personal data to third parties.
2.2 Personal data
Personal data is any information identifying a data subject (a living person to whom the data relates). It includes
information relating to a data subject that can be identified (directly or indirectly) from that data alone or in combination with other identifiers the organisation possesses or can reasonably access. 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.
2.3 Sensitive personal data
Sensitive personal data is a special category of information which relates to a data subject’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. It also includes personal data relating to criminal offences and convictions.
PRIVACY NOTICE
3.1 This policy, together with the information contained in the table of applicant data appended to the policy, constitutes a privacy notice setting out the information that RCS holds about applicants, the purpose for which this data is held and the lawful basis on which it is held. RCS may process personal information without applicants’ knowledge or consent, in compliance with this policy, where this is required or permitted by law.
3.2 If the purpose for processing any piece of data about applicants should change, the company will update the table of applicant data with the new purpose and the lawful basis for processing the data and will notify applicants.
FAIR PROCESSING OF DATA
4.1 Fair processing principles
In processing applicants’ data the following principles will be adhered to. Personal data will be:
Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way;
Collected only for valid purposes that are clearly explained and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes;
Relevant to specific purposes and limited only to those purposes;
Accurate and kept up to date;
Kept only as long as necessary for the specified purposes; and
Kept securely.
4.2 Lawful processing of personal data
Personal information will only be processed when there is a lawful basis for doing so. Most commonly, RCS will use personal information in the following circumstances:
- when it is needed to perform applicants’ contracts of employment;
- when it is needed to comply with a legal obligation; or
- when it is necessary for RCS’s legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and applicants’ interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
RCS may also use personal information in the following situations, which are likely to be rare:
- when it is necessary to protect applicants’ interests (or someone else’s interests); or
- when it is necessary in the public interest or for official purposes.
RCS may process special categories of personal information in the following circumstances:
- In limited circumstances, with explicit written consent;
- in order to meet legal obligations;
- when it is needed in the public interest, such as for equal opportunities monitoring: or
- when it is needed to assess working capacity on health grounds, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.
Less commonly, RCS may process this type of information where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect an applicant’s interests (or someone else’s interests) and the applicant is not capable of giving consent, or where an applicant has already made the information public. RCS may use particularly sensitive personal information in the following ways:
information relating to leaves of absence, which may include sickness absence or family related leaves, may be used to comply with employment and other laws;
information about applicants’ physical or mental health, or disability status, may be used to ensure health and safety in the workplace and to assess fitness to work, to provide appropriate workplace adjustments, to monitor and manage sickness absence and to administer benefits;
information about race or national or ethnic origin, religious, philosophical or moral beliefs, or sexual life or sexual orientation, may be used to ensure meaningful equal opportunity monitoring and reporting; and
information about trade union membership may be used to pay trade union premiums, register the status of a protected applicant and to comply with employment law obligations.
4.3 Lawful processing of information about criminal convictions
Where appropriate, RCS collects 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. RCS thereby envisages that it will hold information about criminal convictions. RCS 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 RCS’s obligations. Less commonly, RCS 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.
4.4 Consent to data processing
RCS does not require consent from applicants to process most types of applicant data. In addition, RCS will not usually need consent to use special categories of personal information in order to carry out legal obligations or exercise specific rights in the field of employment law.
In limited circumstances, applicants may be asked for written consent to process sensitive data. In those circumstances, applicants will be provided with full details of the information that sought and the reason it is needed, so that applicants can carefully consider whether to consent.
Where applicants 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 RCS 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.
4.5 Automated decision making
Automated decision-making takes place when an electronic system uses personal information to make a decision without human intervention.
RCS does not envisage that any decisions will be taken about applicants using automated means, however applicants will be notified if this position changes.
COLLECTION AND RETENTION OF DATA
5.1 Collection of data
RCS will collect personal information about applicants through the application and recruitment process, either directly from candidates or sometimes from an employment agency or background check provider. RCS may sometimes collect additional information from third parties including former employers, other background check agencies, specifically Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services and Disclosure Scotland.
From time to time, RCS may collect additional personal information from an applicant. If RCS requires to obtain additional personal information this policy will be updated or applicants will receive a separate privacy notice setting out the purpose and lawful basis for processing the data.
5.2 Retention of data
RCS will only retain applicants’ personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes it was collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Details of retention periods for different aspects of personal information are set out in the table of applicant data appended to this policy.
When determining the appropriate retention period for personal data, RCS 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 RCS can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
In some circumstances RCS may anonymise personal information so that it can no longer be associated with individual applicants, in which case RCS may use such information without further notice to applicants. After the data retention period has expired, RCS will securely destroy applicants’ personal information.
DATA SECURITY AND SHARING
6.1 Data security
RCS 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 available upon request.
6.2 Data sharing
RCS may share personal information with third parties. RCS requires third parties to respect the security of applicant data and to treat it in accordance with the law. RCS may also need to share personal information with a regulator or to otherwise comply with the law.
RCS may also share applicant data with third-party service providers where it is necessary to administer the working relationship with applicants or where RCS has a legitimate interest in doing so. The following activities are carried out by third-party service providers: payroll, pension administration, childcare voucher schemes, disclosure and Protecting Vulnerable Group checks, employment law, occupational health services, and IT services.
STAFF MEMBER RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS
7.1 Accuracy of data
RCS will conduct regular reviews of the information held by it to ensure the relevancy of the information it holds. Applicants are under a duty to inform RCS of any changes to their current circumstances. Where an Applicant has concerns regarding the accuracy of personal data held by RCS, the Applicant should contact RCS’s Office Manager to request an amendment to the data.
7.2 Applicant rights
Under certain circumstances, applicants have the right to:
Request access to personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”).
Request erasure of personal information.
Object to processing of personal information where the Company is relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) to lawfully process it.
Request the restriction of processing of personal information.
Request the transfer of personal information to another party.
If an applicant wishes to make a request on any of the above grounds, they should contact the Office Manager in writing. Please note that, depending on the nature of the request, the RCS may have good grounds for refusing to comply. If that is the case, the applicant will be given an explanation by RCS.
7.3 Data subject access requests
Applicants will not normally have to pay a fee to access personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, RCS may charge a reasonable fee if the request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, RCS may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.
RCS may need to request specific information from the applicant 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.
COMPLIANCE WITH THIS POLICY
8.1 RCS’s responsibility for compliance
RCS’s Office Manager is tasked with overseeing compliance with this policy.
If applicants have any questions about this policy or how RCS handles personal information, they should contact RCS’s Office Manager.
Applicants 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.
8.2 Data security breaches
