Privacy Policy

UNITY RECRUITMENT LTD

Website and External Privacy Notice

Public notice for candidates, workers, clients, suppliers and website users  |   Version 1.0  |  Last updated 19 August 2026

In short: Unity Recruitment uses personal information to provide recruitment and employment-business services, manage business relationships, operate its website and meet legal obligations. We do not sell personal information.

1. Who we are

Unity Recruitment Ltd (company number 06375477) is a specialist recruitment agency and employment business. For most of the activities described in this notice, Unity is the controller of your personal information.

Our registered office is C/O Hillier Hopkins LLP, First Floor, Radius House, 51 Clarendon Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 1HP. Our principal trading address is 2nd Floor, The Junction, Station Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 1ET.

In limited situations, a client, end hirer, managed service provider or vendor-management provider may also be a separate controller, or Unity may process information on another organisation's documented instructions. Their own privacy notice may also apply.

2. Who this notice covers

1. candidates, prospective candidates, temporary workers, contractors and people seeking permanent or temporary work;
2. client, end-hirer, council, managed service provider and vendor-management contacts, including prospective clients;
3. referees, emergency contacts, dependants and other people whose details a candidate or worker gives us;
4. umbrella company, payroll provider, supplier, professional adviser and business-partner contacts;
5. people who visit our website, create an account, submit a CV, apply for a role or contact us; and
6. people applying to work directly for Unity.

Candidates and temporary workers should also read Unity's Candidate and Temporary Worker Privacy Notice. Unity staff receive a separate Staff and Direct Applicant Privacy Notice.

3. Personal information we collect

Candidates and prospective candidates

We may collect identity and contact details; CVs and work history; education, qualifications and professional memberships; role, location, availability and pay preferences; interview and assessment information; references; communications; and information needed to establish suitability for work.

Where necessary for a role or placement, we may also collect proof of identity and right to work, date of birth, National Insurance number, bank and payroll details, timesheets, absence and holiday information, driving or licence details, health or disability information, equality-monitoring information and criminal-record-check information.

Workers and contractors

In addition to candidate information, we may collect assignment, contract, pay, tax, pension, attendance, time-recording, expenses, performance, conduct, incident, complaint, training, health and safety and compliance records.

Clients, prospects, suppliers and business contacts

We may collect names, job titles, business contact details, employer and reporting-line information, communications, meeting notes, vacancy and resourcing requirements, contract and payment information, service history, marketing preferences and information needed for due diligence, credit control, fraud prevention and relationship management.

Website users

We may collect account and login information, CV and application information, form submissions, IP address, device and browser information, pages visited, searches, interactions, consent choices and security logs. Our Cookie Policy explains the storage and access technologies used on the website.

Other people

If you are a referee, emergency contact, dependant or another third party named by someone else, we normally collect only the information reasonably needed for the stated purpose. The person providing your details should have told you that they were doing so.

4. Where information comes from

7. you directly, including by telephone, email, forms, our website, interviews and registration or onboarding;
8. job boards, CV databases and advertising platforms, including applications distributed through recruitment advertising tools;
9. professional networking sites, publicly available sources, referrals and recommendations;
10. clients, end hirers, councils, MSP/VMS platforms and other organisations involved in a vacancy or assignment;
11. former employers, referees, qualification bodies, background-screening providers, the Disclosure and Barring Service, right-to-work checking services and occupational-health providers;
12. umbrella companies, payroll and pension providers, training providers and other assignment-support suppliers; and
13. website, communications and IT systems that generate security, usage and audit records.

5. Why we use information and our lawful bases

Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests include operating an effective recruitment business, finding and placing suitable workers, maintaining professional relationships, recovering sums due, improving services, securing systems and defending legal rights. We assess whether those interests are overridden by your rights and interests.

6. Health, equality and criminal-record information

Some information receives additional legal protection. We only process health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical belief, trade-union, sexual-orientation or other special-category information where it is necessary and an additional UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 condition applies.

This may include employment, social-security and social-protection obligations and rights; occupational health; equality monitoring; safeguarding; substantial public interest; explicit consent in limited appropriate cases; or establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

We process criminal-offence information only where it is lawful, necessary and proportionate for the role or purpose, and where an applicable Data Protection Act 2018 condition is met. Access is restricted and certificate information is not retained longer than necessary.

7. Who we share information with

14. clients, prospective employers, end hirers, councils and the people involved in selecting or supervising workers;
15. managed service providers, neutral vendors and vendor-management systems used in the recruitment supply chain;
16. umbrella companies, payroll providers, personal service companies, pension providers and benefits administrators;
17. referees, former employers, background-screening, DBS, identity, right-to-work, training, qualification and occupational-health providers;
18. our recruitment CRM, website, job-board, advertising, communications, email, document-storage, security and other IT providers;
19. banks, invoice financiers, insurers, auditors, accountants, solicitors and other professional advisers;
20. HMRC, the Home Office, DWP, The Pensions Regulator, law-enforcement bodies, courts, regulators and public authorities where required or permitted; and
21. a potential buyer, investor, funder or successor in connection with a genuine business transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We share only what is reasonably necessary. We normally seek a candidate's agreement before presenting an identifiable CV to a client for a specific role, unless the candidate has already instructed us to do so or another lawful and fair basis applies.

8. International transfers

Some technology and service providers may store or access information outside the United Kingdom. Where this is a restricted transfer, we use an approved legal mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved EU standard contractual clauses, or another lawful exception, together with appropriate security and transfer-risk measures where required.

9. How long we keep information

We keep information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose, our legal and contractual obligations and the establishment, exercise or defence of claims. Our normal periods include:

22. inactive candidate records: normally two years after the last meaningful contact, unless a continuing placement, legal obligation, dispute or other documented reason requires longer;
23. unsuccessful direct applications to Unity: normally six months after the recruitment process, or up to 12 months for an agreed talent pool;
24. placement, assignment, contract and financial records: normally six years after the relevant relationship or accounting period;
25. right-to-work evidence: for the engagement and two years afterwards where the statutory requirement applies;
26. DBS certificate information: normally no longer than six months after the decision, unless an exceptional lawful reason applies;
27. client and supplier records: for the relationship and normally six years afterwards; and
28. website and cookie records: for the periods described in the Cookie Policy and Unity's retention schedule.

We may retain information longer where litigation is contemplated or ongoing, a regulator or law requires it, or a client/MSP retention requirement lawfully applies. We may keep anonymised information without a time limit because it no longer identifies anyone.

10. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

29. ask for access to your personal information and related privacy information;
30. ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
31. ask us to erase information or restrict how we use it;
32. object to processing based on legitimate interests and object at any time to direct marketing;
33. receive certain information in a portable format;
34. withdraw consent where processing relies on consent, without affecting earlier lawful use; and
35. request safeguards and human review in relation to qualifying automated decisions.

These rights are not absolute and exemptions may apply. We may ask for information needed to verify identity and understand the request. To exercise a right, contact the Data Protection Lead using the details below.

11. Automated tools and human decisions

We may use search, filtering, matching, ranking and workflow tools to help consultants identify potentially suitable candidates or manage recruitment activity. Unity does not currently make recruitment or placement decisions solely by automated means that produce legal or similarly significant effects. A consultant or other person is involved. If this changes, we will provide the additional information and safeguards required by law.

12. Job alerts and marketing

We may contact candidates about suitable work as part of the recruitment service they have requested or reasonably expect. We obtain consent where PECR requires it for electronic marketing. You can opt out of job alerts or marketing at any time, although we may still send necessary service, compliance or assignment communications.

13. Security

We use proportionate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including role-based access, authentication, system and supplier controls, staff training, secure storage, backups, monitoring and incident-management procedures. No system is completely secure, but we review our measures and restrict access to people who need it for their work.

14. Children

Our services are not directed at children. We do not knowingly recruit anyone below the lawful working age. If a role or apprenticeship may involve a person under 18, we apply age-appropriate information, safeguarding and data-minimisation measures.

15. Questions and data-protection complaints

Data Protection Lead, Unity Recruitment Ltd

2nd Floor, The Junction, Station Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 1ET

Email: info@unity-recruitment.co.uk  |  Telephone: 0203 668 5680

You may make a data-protection complaint by email, post or the electronic contact route provided on our website. We will acknowledge receipt within 30 days and will investigate and respond without undue delay, keeping you informed where necessary.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113, or Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. We would appreciate the opportunity to address the matter first, but this does not affect your right to contact the ICO.

16. Changes to this notice

We review this notice regularly. The latest version will be published on our website. If a change materially affects how we use information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected people before the new use begins.