At WHLandscape we are committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of our clients. We take your privacy very seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the services you have requested from us. Your personal information will be kept securely and will only be shared where absolutely necessary.

This privacy policy describes the personal data collected or processed by WHLandscape in the discharge of the services that we are providing to you and in the management of your account. It also explains how your personal data is used, shared and protected, what choices you have relating to your personal data and how you can contact us.

How do we get information?

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:

You have provided Information through your completion of our on-line website forms, website registration (creation of an account on our website) or from any email you send to us.

• You have made an enquiry to us.
• You wish to attend, or have attended, one of our training events.
• You have requested product and/or service support.
• You have participated in a survey, competition or promotion.
• You have provided feedback, reviews or testimonials.
• You subscribed to our e-newsletter.
• You have applied for a job or secondment with us.
• You are representing your organisation.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

• Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
• Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
• Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us at info@whlandscape.co.uk if you wish to make a request.

Sharing your information

We will not share your information with any third parties for the purposes of direct marketing.

We use data processors who are third parties who provide elements of services for us. We have contracts in place with our data processors. This means that they cannot do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it. They will not share your personal information with any organisation apart from us. They will hold it securely and retain it for the period we instruct.

Links to other websites

Where we provide links to websites of other organisations, this privacy policy does not cover how that organisation processes personal information. We encourage you to read the privacy notices on the other websites you visit.

Your right to complain

We strive for high standards when it comes to processing your personal information. If you have queries or concerns, please contact us at info@whlandscape.co.uk 

If you remain dissatisfied, you can make a complaint about the way we process your personal information to us as the UK supervisory authority. Please follow this link to see how to do that.

Complaints about us are handled in the same way as a complaint about any other organisation. 

For information about how we process a complainant’s information, please see this section of our privacy policy.

Visitors to our website

Analytics

When you visit whlandscape.co.uk we use a third-party service, Fathom Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out such things as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way that does not directly identify anyone. 

We do not make, and do not allow Fathom Analytics to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.

If we do collect personal data through our website, we’ll be upfront about this. We’ll make it clear when we collect personal information, and we’ll explain what we intend to do with it.

Cookies

We use a cookies tool on our website to gain consent for the optional cookies we use.

Cookies that are necessary for functionality, security and accessibility are set and are not deleted by the tool.

You can read more about how we use cookies, and how to change your cookies preferences, on our Cookies page{hyperlink}.

Lawful Bases for Processing Your Information

The purpose for implementing the above is to maintain and monitor the performance of our website and to constantly look to improve the site and the services it offers to our users. The lawful basis we rely on to process your personal data is either Article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR, for example when we require your consent for the optional cookies we use, or Article 6(1)(f) which allows us to process personal data when it’s necessary for our legitimate interests. For example, in order to maintain the integrity of our IT systems and the continuity of our business.

What are your rights?

As we are processing your personal data for our legitimate interests as stated above, you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data. There are legitimate reasons why we may refuse your objection, which depend on why we are processing it.

For more information on your rights, please see Your data protection rights.

Visitors to the office

We meet visitors at our office, including:

• Clients
• External training providers
• Job applicants
• Contractors
• Suppliers and tradespeople
• Dignitaries

We have Wi-Fi on site for the use of visitors. We may provide you with the address and password.

We record the device address and will automatically allocate you an IP address whilst on site. We also log traffic information in the form of sites visited, duration and date sent/received.

We don’t ask you to agree to terms, just to the fact that we have no responsibility or control over your use of the internet while you are on site, and we don’t ask you to provide any of your information to get this service.

The purpose for processing this information is to provide you with access to the internet whilst visiting our site. The lawful basis we rely on to process your personal data is article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when it’s necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests.

For information about how long we hold personal data, see our retention policy. 

We may ask new visitors to our offices to show some form of ID, but this will not be recorded anywhere and is purely for ID verification.

Making a complaint

Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose is to investigate and take action in line with our statutory duties and contractual obligations.

The lawful basis we rely on to process your personal data is article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests. 

What we need

We need information from you to investigate your complaint properly, so our complaint forms are designed to prompt you to give us everything we need to understand what’s happened.

When we receive a complaint from you, we may set up a case file. This normally includes your contact details and any other information you have given us about the other parties in your complaint.

Why we need it.

We need to know the details of your complaint so we can investigate it and fulfil our statutory duties and contractual obligations.

What we do with it

We may use your personal information to investigate your complaint and check on our level of service by inviting you to complete a customer satisfaction survey. We may compile and publish statistics showing information like the number of complaints we receive, but not in a form that identifies anyone. 

No third parties have access to your personal information unless the law allows them to do so. 

If you are acting on behalf of someone making a complaint, we’ll ask for information to satisfy us of your identity and if relevant, ask for information to show you have authority to act on someone else’s behalf.

How long we keep it

For information about how long we hold personal data, see our retention policy.

What are your rights?

We are acting in our official capacity to investigate your complaint, so you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data. There are legitimate reasons why we may refuse your objection, which depend on why we are processing it.

For more information on your rights, please see Your data protection rights.

Make an enquiry

When you contact us to make an enquiry, we collect information, including your personal data, so that we can respond to it and fulfil our regulatory responsibilities.

The lawful basis we rely on to process your personal data is article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary to perform our statutory duties and contractual obligations.

What we need and why we need it

We need enough information from you to answer your enquiry.

What we do with it

We may set up a case file on our customer relationship management (CRM) system to record your enquiry and so we can get it to the correct area of the business to be dealt with. We’ll also keep a record of our response. 

We use the information supplied to us to deal with the enquiry and any subsequent issues that may arise, and to check on the level of service we provide.

Information entered into the forms will be passed onto the external data processor Postmark upon submission (which is then forwarded to us via email). Please review their privacy policy for information on how they process your data.

How long we keep it

For information about how long we hold personal data, see our retention policy.

What are your rights?

We are acting in our legitimate interest capacity to respond to your enquiry, so you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data. 

There are legitimate reasons why we may refuse your objection, which depend on why we are processing it.

For more information on your rights, please see ‘Your rights as an individual’.

Do we use any data processors?

We use Postrmark as mentioned above. Emails may also be processed by various email clients/services. This may include antispam services or web-based clients such as Gmail among others.

Law Enforcement

We will share your information if required to do so by law. We may disclose your personal information to law enforcement and/or government agencies.

Apply for a job or secondment

Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is to assess your suitability for a role you have applied for and to help us develop and improve our recruitment process.

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is article 6(1)(b) of the UK GDPR, which relates to processing necessary to perform a contract or to take steps at your request, before entering a contract.

If you provide us with any information about reasonable adjustments you require under the Equality Act 2010 the lawful basis we rely on for processing this information is article 6(1)(c) to comply with our legal obligations under the Act.

The lawful basis we rely on to process any information you provide as part of your application which is special category data, such as health, religious or ethnicity information is article 9(2)(b) of the UK GDPR, which relates to our obligations in employment and the safeguarding of your fundamental rights. And Schedule 1 part 1(1) of the DPA2018 which again relates to processing for employment purposes.

We may process information about applicant criminal convictions and offences. The lawful basis we rely on to process this data is Article 6(1)(e) is that we have a legitimate interest. In addition, we rely on the processing condition at Schedule 1 part 2 paragraph 6(2)(a). 

What will we do with the information you give us?

We’ll use all the information you provide during the recruitment process to progress your application with a view to offering you an employment contract with us, or to fulfil legal or regulatory requirements if necessary.

We will not share any of the information you provide with any third parties for marketing purposes.

We’ll use the contact details you give us to contact you to progress your application. We may also contact you to request your feedback about our recruitment process. We’ll use the other information you provide to assess your suitability for the role.

What information do we ask for, and why?

We do not collect more information than we need to fulfil our stated purposes and will not keep it longer than necessary.

The information we ask for is used to assess your suitability for employment. You don’t have to provide what we ask for, but it may affect your application if you don’t.

We will use any feedback you provide about our recruitment process to develop and improve our future recruitment campaigns.

Application stage

If you apply online or by post, your details may be collected by an external recruitment agency on our behalf or passed to them for processing.

You can submit your application to us by emailing us at info@whlandscape.co.uk or by post.

We ask you for your personal details including name and contact details. We’ll also ask you about previous experience, education, referees and for answers to questions relevant to the role. Our recruitment team will have access to all this information.

You may also be asked to provide equal opportunities information. This is not mandatory – if you don’t provide it, it won’t affect your application. 

We won’t make the information available to any staff outside our recruitment team, including hiring managers, in a way that can identify you. Any information you provide will be used to produce and monitor equal opportunities statistics.

Shortlisting

Our hiring managers shortlist applications for interviews. They may be provided with your name or contact details or with your equal opportunities information if you have provided it.

Assessments

We may ask you to participate in assessment days; complete tests or occupational personality profile questionnaires; attend an interview; or a combination of these. Information will be generated by you and by us. For example, you might complete a written test, or we might take interview notes. This information is held by us.

If you are unsuccessful after assessment for the role, we may ask if you would like your details retained in our talent pool. If you say yes, we would proactively contact you should any further suitable vacancies arise.

Conditional offer

If we make a conditional offer of employment, we’ll ask you for information so that we can carry out pre-employment checks. You must successfully complete pre-employment checks to progress to a final offer. We must confirm the identity of our staff and their right to work in the United Kingdom, and seek assurance as to their trustworthiness, integrity and reliability.

You must therefore provide:

• Proof of your identity – you will be asked to attend our office with original documents; we’ll take copies.
• Proof of your qualifications – you will be asked to attend our office with original documents; we’ll take copies.
• A criminal records declaration to declare any unspent convictions.
• Your email address, which we may use to contact you to complete an application for a Basic Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service, or Access NI, which will verify your declaration of unspent convictions.

We’ll contact your referees, using the details you provide in your application, directly to obtain references.

We’ll also ask you to complete a questionnaire about your health to establish your fitness to work.

We’ll also ask you about any reasonable adjustments you may require under the Equality Act 2010. This information will be shared with relevant [company] staff to ensure these are in place for when you start your employment. 

If we make a final offer, we’ll also ask you for the following

• Bank details – to process salary payments.
• Emergency contact details – so we know who to contact in case you have an emergency at work.
• Any membership of a pension scheme
• After your start date

Our Code of Conduct requires all staff to declare if they have any potential conflicts of interest. If you complete a declaration, the information will be held on your personnel file. You will also need to declare any secondary employment.

Secondments

We also offer opportunities for people to come and work with us on a secondment basis. We accept applications from individuals or organisations who think they could benefit from their staff working with us.

Applications are sent directly to us. Once we have considered your application, if we are interested in speaking to you further, we’ll contact you using the details you give.

We may ask you to provide more information about your skills and experience or invite you to an interview.

If we do not have any suitable work at the time, we’ll let you know but we may ask if you would like us to retain your application so that we can proactively contact you about possible opportunities in the future. If you say yes, we’ll keep your application for up to 12 months.

If you are seconded to us, you will be expected to adhere to a confidentiality agreement and code of conduct, which will be agreed with your organisation.

We may also ask you to complete our pre-employment checks - this will depend on the type of work you will be doing for us.

We ask for this information so that we fulfil our obligations to avoid conflicts of interest and to protect the information we hold.

How long is the information kept for?

For information about how long we hold personal data, see our retention policy.

How we make decisions about recruitment

Final recruitment decisions are made by hiring managers and members of our recruitment team. We take account of all the information gathered during the application process.

Any online testing is marked, and a result is generated automatically. However, if you wish to challenge the mark you have received, the result can be checked manually.

You can ask about decisions on your application by speaking to your contact in our recruitment team or by emailing info@whlandscape.co.uk 

Your rights

As an individual, you have certain rights regarding your own personal data.

For more information on your rights, please see Your data protection rights.