Ginseng Growth Privacy Policy

Ginseng Growth is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you engage with our human resources consulting services, including talent acquisition, HR policy development, employee relations, compensation and benefits, HR technology implementation, training and development, HR analytics, organizational design, and compliance advisory. Our dedication to data protection is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable privacy laws.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information in connection with the services we provide, which may include personal data.

• Personal Identification Information: Name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, and other contact details, especially in the context of talent acquisition and recruitment services.
• Professional Information: Resume/CV details, employment history, educational background, professional qualifications, skills, salary expectations, performance reviews, and other data relevant to HR consulting or recruitment processes.
• Sensitive Personal Data: In specific circumstances and with explicit consent, we may collect sensitive personal data such as health information (e.g., for reasonable accommodation requests) or diversity data (e.g., for equal opportunity monitoring). This will always be handled with the utmost care and in accordance with legal requirements.
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, and usage patterns when you interact with our online platform or digital communications.
• Client-Specific Data: Information provided by our clients for the purpose of delivering HR consulting services, which may include employee data, organizational structures, compensation details, and HR policy documents.

2. How We Collect Your Information

We collect information through various methods:

• Directly from You: When you apply for a job, submit inquiries, engage in our consulting services, or communicate with us via email, phone, or in person.
• From Clients: When our clients provide us with data necessary to perform our HR consulting services on their behalf.
• From Third Parties: Such as recruitment platforms, professional networking sites, background check providers (with your consent), and publicly available sources, to support our talent acquisition activities.
• Automatically: Through cookies and similar technologies when you visit our online platform, though our focus is primarily on direct human interaction for consulting services.

3. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data (GDPR)

Our legal bases for processing your personal data include:

• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., for sharing your CV with a prospective employer).
• Contractual Necessity: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract (e.g., providing recruitment services).
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation that we are subject to (e.g., retaining certain records as required by law).
• Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms (e.g., improving our services, preventing fraud, direct marketing where permissible).

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes related to our HR consulting services:

• To Provide Services: Delivering talent acquisition, HR policy development, employee relations management, compensation and benefits consulting, HR technology implementation, training and development programs, HR analytics and reporting, organizational design and change management, and compliance and legal advisory.
• Recruitment and Placement: Matching candidates with job opportunities, assessing suitability, and facilitating the hiring process.
• Communication: Responding to inquiries, providing updates on our services, and sending relevant information.
• Improvement of Services: Analyzing data to enhance our consulting methodologies, improve efficiency, and develop new offerings.
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Fulfilling our legal obligations and protecting our rights and the rights of others.
• Security: Protecting our systems and data from unauthorized access or misuse.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your information with third parties in the following circumstances:

• With Your Consent: We will obtain your explicit consent before sharing your personal data with third parties for purposes not covered by this policy, such as sharing your CV with a specific client.
• Clients: For talent acquisition and recruitment services, we may share relevant professional information with prospective employers or our clients to assess suitability for roles.
• Service Providers: We may engage third-party service providers to assist us with various business functions, such as IT support, data hosting, and professional services. These providers are bound by confidentiality agreements and are only permitted to use your data for the purposes we specify.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your personal data may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

6. Data Security

Ginseng Growth implements robust technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We regularly review and update our security practices to ensure the ongoing integrity and confidentiality of your information. Access to your personal data is restricted to authorized personnel who have a legitimate need to access it for the purposes outlined in this policy.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period will vary depending on the type of data and the specific context of our relationship with you or our client. For instance, recruitment data might be retained for a period after a placement, or for a reasonable period if you are an active candidate, to consider you for future opportunities, unless you request its deletion.

8. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The Right to Be Informed: You have the right to be provided with clear, transparent, and easily understandable information about how we use your personal data and your rights.
• The Right of Access: You have the right to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• The Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
• The Right to Erasure ( "Right to Be Forgotten"): In certain circumstances, you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data.
• The Right to Restrict Processing: In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
• The Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to transmit that data to another controller.
• The Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain situations, including for direct marketing purposes.
• Rights in Relation to Automated Decision-Making and Profiling: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

9. Complaints

If you have concerns about our data processing practices or believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will post any revised policy on our online platform and encourage you to review it periodically. Significant changes will be communicated more prominently.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us:

Ginseng Growth
17 Regent Street, Floor 3,
London, Greater London,
SW1Y 4LR, UK

Telephone: +44 20 7946 0876