The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income working households: Privacy Notice

In line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), this privacy notice for research participants explains the legal basis for data processing as part of this study. This includes who will have access to your personal data, how your data will be used, stored and deleted and who you can contact with a query or a complaint.

What is the legal basis for processing my data?

The Institute for Employment Studies is the data controller for this project. This means that they are responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing data.

For this project, IES will process personal data for the purposes of conducting research into how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting low-income working households. The legal basis for processing data is Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation where “processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.”

Roots Research are a data processor for this project and will oversee the recruitment of research participants. They will process personal information on behalf of IES (the data controller).

You can contact Jonathan Buzzeo, the Project Manager at the Institute for Employment Studies with any questions about the project at: jonathan.buzzeo@employment-studies.co.uk

Who will have access to my personal data?

For this study, IES will undertake a series of in-depth interviews with individuals from low-income households to explore how their working conditions, financial situation and future plans have been affected by the pandemic.

They will also be hosting roundtable discussions and completing in-depth interviews with policymakers, employer bodies and other stakeholder groups. This consultation will help develop policy solutions to the challenges faced by low-income households highlighted by this research.

Roots Research are overseeing the recruitment of individuals from low-income households for interviews. With participants’ consent, Roots will collect several items of personal data (e.g. age, gender, household income, location). This information is being collected to ensure that interviewees are from the types of households the research is targeting and that a diverse range of views are represented. This information will be securely sent to the IES research team who will conduct the interviews and will be used to help analyse the findings that emerge.

IES will manage the recruitment of policymakers, employer bodies and other stakeholder groups to participate in the roundtable discussions and in-depth interviews. In these cases, personal data (i.e. name, job role, email address) will be collected either to send invitations to participate in the research or where it is relevant in order to contextualise participant responses. For the purposes of recruitment, this information will either be obtained from publicly available sources or via long-standing IES contacts and networks.

Whether personal data is collected first-hand or securely sent to IES for the purposes of this study, these details will be stored on an encrypted server with access restricted solely to members of the IES research team. They will not be shared outside of the organisation with any additional third parties.

How will my data be treated?

If you are invited and choose to take part in an interview or roundtable for this project, the data you provide will be used for research purposes only. IES will produce a report that summarises the main findings from all the interviews and roundtables. The research team’s analysis and presentation of the findings from both sets of interviews will be at an aggregate level; individuals will not be named, nor will any information be included that could reveal your identity.

Your personal information will be securely deleted from the IES systems 6 months after the project is complete (currently estimated to be April 2021).

Who can I contact if I would like to withdraw my interview data?

You have the right to withdraw the information you have provided as part of the interviews or roundtables up to 14 days after you have submitted your response. If you would like your data withdrawn, please contact: jonathan.buzzeo@employment-studies.co.uk

Who can I contact with a query about how my data will be used?

If you have any questions about how your data will be used, please contact Suzanne Anderson, data protection officer at IES with the subject “For the attention of the Data Protection Officer” (Suzanne.Anderson@employment-studies.co.uk)

Who can I contact with a complaint?

Under GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk