Last updated: 22 September 2026
This policy explains what personal information Optio holds about you, where we got it, what we do with it and the control you have over it. It covers skilled people who use Optio and people whose details we have obtained from elsewhere, as well as employer contacts and visitors to this website.
Who we are and how to contact us
Optio.Work (“Optio”, “we”, “us”) is the data controller for the information described in this policy.
For anything in this policy — including asking what we hold about you, or asking us to delete it — email privacy@optio.work. You can also use our contact page.
The short version
- If you build a wish list, you tell us what would make a move worthwhile. We use that to identify relevant employers.
- Employers do not see your name or contact details when a match is first identified. They see anonymised, structured information — sector, role level, general location band and your stated priorities.
- Your identifying details are shared with an employer only when you choose to take that step.
- Some people in our records did not register with us. We obtained their details from job boards and CV databases. If that is you, you can object and we will stop.
- You can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it, at any time.
The information we hold
If you have built a wish list with us, we hold the information you gave us. Depending on what you chose to provide, that can include your name, email address, mobile number, the general area you live in, your current or most recent role, your experience and qualifications, and your stated priorities for a move — pay expectations, travel radius, on-call and shift preferences, training and progression goals, and your availability.
If we sourced your details from elsewhere, we hold what that source provided. That typically includes your name, contact details, job title, location and the contents of a CV you published on a job board or CV database.
If you are an employer contact, we hold your name, organisation, role, work email and telephone number, and a record of our correspondence.
If you visit this website, we and our analytics provider collect standard technical information — see Cookies and analytics below.
We do not ask for special category data such as health information, and we ask you not to include it in free-text fields or a CV you send us.
Where we get it, and our lawful basis
| Source | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Information you give us directly when you build or update a wish list, or contact us | Consent, which you can withdraw at any time, and our legitimate interests in operating the service you asked us to provide |
| CVs and contact details obtained from job boards and CV databases, where you made them available to recruiters | Legitimate interests — introducing relevant people to relevant employers. You have the right to object, and we will stop |
| Employer contact details, given to us or taken from public business sources | Legitimate interests in business communication |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered whether our interest is outweighed by your rights. You can ask us for that assessment.
If you did not register with us and we hold your details, you are entitled to be told. We aim to tell people within one month of obtaining their information. If you are reading this because you received a notice from us, or because you found us and want to know what we hold, email privacy@optio.work and we will tell you — and remove you if you ask.
What we use it for
- Identifying employers and roles that fit the priorities you have set.
- Showing an employer, in anonymised form, that someone with your profile and priorities exists in their market.
- Contacting you about a relevant opportunity, if you have asked us to.
- Producing aggregated market insight for employers — what skilled people in a sector and region are asking for in pay, travel, hours, training and progression.
- Operating, securing and improving the service.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not add you to unrelated marketing lists.
Anonymised market insight
Employers using Optio see aggregated signals — for example, how many people in a region have asked for funded qualifications, or where stated pay expectations sit against what is being offered. These signals are reported in groups, not individually, and are suppressed where the group is too small to report without identifying someone.
Who we share it with
Employers. When a match is first identified, an employer sees anonymised, structured information only. Your name, contact details and current employer are not included at that stage. They are shared with an employer when you choose to take the match forward.
Service providers. We use a small number of suppliers who process data on our instructions, under contract, and who are not permitted to use it for their own purposes:
- Airtable — the database holding candidate, employer and match records (United States).
- Supabase — database infrastructure, hosted in the European Union (Frankfurt).
- Vercel — hosting for the Optio applications.
- Hostinger — hosting for this website and our email.
- Google — website analytics, and business email and file storage.
We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to establish or defend legal claims.
Where your data is stored
Some of our suppliers are based outside the UK, including in the United States. Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we rely on the safeguards permitted by UK data protection law — an adequacy decision where one applies, or the International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. You can ask us for details of the safeguard used for a particular transfer.
How long we keep it
We do not keep personal information for longer than we need it. Every record we hold carries a retention review date. When that date passes, the record is reviewed and then deleted, anonymised, or — where there is still a reason to hold it — given a new review date.
If you ask us to delete your information, we will do so and close any active matches at the same time. If you want to know what review date currently applies to your record, ask us and we will tell you.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
- have inaccurate information corrected;
- have your information deleted;
- restrict how we use it;
- object to our use of it where we rely on legitimate interests — including if we sourced your details and you never registered with us;
- receive your information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent at any time, without affecting anything done before you withdrew it.
Email privacy@optio.work to exercise any of these. We will respond within one month. There is no charge.
Your private link
Optio does not ask you to create a password. Instead, we send you a private link that opens your own wish list. Anyone who has that link can see and change your wish list, so please treat it like a password: do not forward it, and do not post it anywhere public. If you think someone else has your link, tell us and we will issue a new one and disable the old one.
Cookies and analytics
This website sets cookies that are necessary for it to work. It also uses Google Analytics to understand how the site is used, and those cookies are currently set when you arrive rather than after you agree to them, because we do not yet show a cookie banner. We are changing that, and we will update this section when we do.
In the meantime you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time, and you can opt out of Google Analytics on every site you visit using Google’s opt-out browser add-on. Nothing on this site requires analytics cookies in order to work.
Changes to this policy
We will update this page when what we do with personal information changes, and change the date at the top. Where a change materially affects you, we will tell you directly.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first at privacy@optio.work so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, or by calling 0303 123 1113.