Who We Are

1stWorkforce provides recruitment and workforce services. For the purposes of this privacy policy, references to “1stWorkforce”, “we”, “us”, or “our” mean the organisation responsible for deciding how and why personal information is used in connection with the services covered by this policy.

Our contact address is 4 Bell Parade, Bell Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, England, TW3 3NU.

Personal Information We May Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. Where relevant, we may collect information directly from you, through our website or application forms, from employers or clients, from referrals, or from professional and publicly available sources.

• Identity and contact information, such as your name, address, postcode, phone number, and email address.
• Recruitment information, such as your CV, employment history, qualifications, skills, availability, preferred roles, and shift preferences.
• Application and placement information, including jobs you apply for, interview information, availability, assignment details, and communications with us.
• Compliance information where relevant, such as evidence relating to identity, eligibility to work, licences, qualifications, or other checks required for a role.
• Information you provide in enquiries, notes, forms, emails, telephone calls, or other communications.
• Technical information about website use, such as device, browser, IP address, and cookie or analytics information where applicable.

Sensitive information

Some recruitment situations may involve more sensitive information, for example health information needed to discuss workplace adjustments or other information required for a lawful recruitment or employment-related purpose. We only use this type of information where there is an appropriate legal basis and additional condition for processing where required.

How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

• To receive, review, manage, and progress job applications.
• To assess suitability for roles and match candidates with relevant opportunities.
• To communicate with candidates, clients, suppliers, and business contacts.
• To arrange interviews, placements, assignments, onboarding, and related recruitment activity.
• To carry out appropriate identity, eligibility, qualification, licence, reference, or compliance checks where relevant and lawful.
• To manage our relationship with you and respond to enquiries, requests, complaints, or feedback.
• To operate, secure, analyse, and improve our website and services.
• To meet legal, regulatory, contractual, accounting, fraud prevention, and record-keeping requirements.

Our Lawful Bases for Using Personal Information

The lawful basis we rely on depends on the purpose and the circumstances. We may rely on one or more of the following:

Who We May Share Personal Information With

We do not sell personal information. Where necessary and lawful, we may share relevant information with:

• Employers, clients, hiring managers, or organisations considering you for a role or placement.
• Service providers that support our website, communications, recruitment systems, hosting, document management, IT, or other business operations.
• Professional advisers, auditors, insurers, accountants, or legal advisers where necessary.
• Regulators, law enforcement, courts, government bodies, or other authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
• A buyer, seller, adviser, or relevant party involved in a genuine business restructuring, acquisition, or transfer.

We aim to share only information that is relevant for the purpose concerned and expect organisations processing information on our behalf to protect it appropriately.

International Transfers

Some technology or service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take steps intended to ensure that an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism or safeguard is used where required.

How Long We Keep Personal Information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected and for related legal, regulatory, contractual, security, accounting, dispute, or record-keeping requirements.

The exact retention period can vary depending on the type of information, whether you become a candidate, worker, client, or other contact, whether a placement or contract is active, and any legal or operational requirements that apply.

When information is no longer required, we aim to delete, anonymise, or securely dispose of it as appropriate.

How We Protect Personal Information

We use organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. No website, system, or method of transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we review our arrangements and take reasonable steps appropriate to the nature of the information we handle.

Cookies and Website Technologies

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies for essential site functions and, where configured, for analytics, performance, or other optional purposes. Where consent is legally required for a non-essential technology, it should not be used until the relevant consent has been obtained.

You can manage cookies through the controls made available on the website and through your browser settings. Blocking some technologies may affect how parts of the website function.

Automated Decision-Making

We do not intend to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you based solely on automated processing unless we have a lawful basis to do so and provide the information and safeguards required by law.

Privacy Questions and Data Protection Complaints

If you have a privacy question, want to exercise a data protection right, or want to make a data protection complaint, please contact us using the details below.

How we handle data protection complaints

We provide a clear route for data protection complaints. We aim to acknowledge a complaint within 30 days of receiving it, take appropriate steps to investigate without undue delay, keep you informed where appropriate, and communicate the outcome.

Complaining to the ICO

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern directly first, but this does not affect your right to contact the ICO.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, systems, business practices, or legal requirements. The latest version will be published on this page with an updated revision date.