Privacy Policy
What we collect, why, how long we keep it and your rights.
HRmonie respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This policy explains what we collect when you use hrmonie.co.uk or contact us, why we collect it, how long we keep it and what rights you have. We process personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who we are
HRmonie is an HR consultancy based in Stoke-on-Trent, supporting small and medium-sized businesses across the UK. Michelle Matthias, trading as HRmonie, is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.
- Email: michelle@hrmonie.co.uk
- Phone: 07711 881857
What we collect and why
| When | What we collect | Why | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| You book a call through the site (Calendly) | Name, email address, phone number if given, the time you choose and any notes you add | To hold the call and follow up afterwards | Taking steps before entering a contract; our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries |
| You email or phone us | Your contact details, your business name and whatever you tell us about your HR query | To answer your enquiry and provide advice | Taking steps before entering a contract; legitimate interest |
| You become a client | Contact and billing details, plus information about your business and staff needed to deliver the work | To provide our services and invoice you | Performance of a contract; legal obligation (tax and accounting records) |
| You browse the site | Technical data such as IP address, browser type and pages visited, collected automatically by our hosting provider | To keep the site secure and working | Legitimate interest in running a secure website |
| You connect with us on LinkedIn or respond to our content | Your public profile details and any messages you send | To stay in touch and share HR updates | Legitimate interest; your consent where you opt in to receive updates |
We do not sell personal data and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling.
Information about your employees
When HRmonie provides HR services to your business, we may handle personal data about your employees — for example in disciplinary, grievance, absence or redundancy matters. In most cases your business remains the data controller for that information and HRmonie acts as a data processor on your instructions, under the terms of our client agreement. We only use employee data for the work you have asked us to do and we keep it secure and confidential.
Who we share data with
We share personal data only with the providers we need to run the business, each of which is bound by its own data protection obligations:
- Calendly — call booking (Calendly LLC, United States; covered by the UK International Data Transfer Addendum and Standard Contractual Clauses)
- Microsoft 365 — email, calendar and document storage (data held in UK/EU data centres)
- Netlify — website hosting (Netlify Inc., United States; covered by Standard Contractual Clauses)
We may also disclose data where the law requires it, for example to HMRC, a court or a regulator.
How long we keep it
- Enquiries that do not become client work: 12 months from our last contact, then deleted
- Client records and advice given: 6 years after the work ends, in line with the limitation period for contract claims and HMRC record-keeping rules
- Call bookings in Calendly: deleted within 12 months of the call
- Website technical logs: retained by our hosting provider for a short period (typically 30 days) for security purposes
Keeping it secure
Your data is stored in password-protected, multi-factor-authenticated systems and is not shared beyond the people and providers who need it. Paper records, where they exist, are kept securely and shredded when no longer needed.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a subject access request)
- ask us to correct inaccurate data
- ask us to delete your data, where we no longer have a reason to keep it
- object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use your data
- withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis for processing
- ask us to transfer your data to another provider in a usable format
To exercise any of these rights, email michelle@hrmonie.co.uk. We will respond within one month. There is no charge unless a request is clearly unfounded or excessive.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please contact us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
We review this policy at least once a year and update it when our practices or the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.
See also: Cookie Policy · Terms of Use