Legal
Data Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purpose we collected it, or for as long as the law requires.
The periods below are our standard schedule. Where a record is subject to a legal hold, an investigation or an ongoing claim, we keep it until that concludes.
Policy detail
Retention schedule
Periods run from the end of the relationship unless stated otherwise.
| Record type | Retention period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Website enquiry correspondence | 24 months from last contact | Responding to and evidencing enquiries |
| Unsuccessful applicant records | 12 months from decision | Defending discrimination claims; considering for future roles |
| Registered candidate records (no assignment worked) | 24 months from last activity | Re-engagement and audit trail |
| Worker records after last assignment | 6 years | Limitation period for contractual claims |
| Right to Work check evidence | 2 years after employment ends | Home Office statutory excuse requirements |
| DBS certificate information | Kept for 12 months from the date of the check (to support the yearly re-check), then reviewed for deletion | DBS Code of Practice |
| DBS check record (fact, level, date, reference) | Duration of engagement plus 6 years | Evidencing that a check was carried out |
| Occupational health outcomes | Duration of engagement plus 6 years | Health and safety and claim defence |
| Training and competency records | Duration of engagement plus 6 years | Evidencing suitability for assignments |
| Timesheets and assignment records | 6 years | Contract, invoicing and claim defence |
| Payroll, tax and National Insurance records | 6 years after the tax year they relate to | HMRC requirements |
| Pension auto-enrolment records | 6 years | The Pensions Regulator requirements |
| Accident and incident records | 3 years (longer where a minor or long-latency risk is involved) | RIDDOR and claim defence |
| Safeguarding records | In line with local safeguarding board guidance | Safeguarding duties |
| Client contracts and procurement records | 6 years after expiry | Contractual and audit requirements |
Where a shorter period is agreed in a client contract or framework, the shorter period applies to the records that contract covers.
What happens at the end of the period
At the end of a retention period we securely delete or anonymise the record.
- Electronic records are deleted from live systems and removed from backups in line with our backup rotation
- Paper records, where held, are destroyed by confidential shredding
- Anonymised data may be kept for statistical purposes where it can no longer identify anyone
Legal holds
If a record is relevant to an actual or anticipated claim, an investigation, a regulatory request or a safeguarding matter, we suspend deletion until the matter concludes. We will not delete data to avoid disclosing it.
Asking us to delete sooner
You can ask us to erase your data before the end of a retention period. We will do so unless we have an overriding obligation or legitimate ground to keep it — for example tax records, safeguarding records, or data needed to defend a legal claim. We will always tell you which applies.
Want something removed?
Make an erasure request and we will tell you what we can delete and what we are required to keep.
Prefer to talk? Call 020 8075 5966
