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1. About this Privacy Policy

The Return Lab is operated by Samantha Summers, (The Return Lab, we, us or our).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information in connection with:

  • our website;

  • enquiries and business development;

  • consulting and advisory engagements;

  • audits, assessments and research;

  • workshops and training;

  • coaching services; and

  • other services provided by The Return Lab.

We are committed to handling personal information responsibly, transparently and in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws.

 

2. What information we may collect

The personal information we collect depends on your relationship with The Return Lab and the services being provided.

It may include:

Business and contact information

We may collect information such as:

  • your name;

  • job title;

  • organisation;

  • work email address;

  • telephone number;

  • professional contact details; and

  • information contained in enquiries or correspondence with us.

Information relating to client engagements

Where an organisation engages The Return Lab, we may collect information necessary to understand its workforce, workplace practices and business needs.

This may include information about:

  • organisational structure;

  • workplace policies and practices;

  • employee retention and turnover;

  • maternity leave and return-to-work processes;

  • leadership and management practices;

  • employee experience;

  • engagement or survey findings; and

  • other information relevant to the agreed scope of work.

Some information may be provided in aggregated or de-identified form.

Information from employees and participants

Where you participate in coaching, interviews, surveys, workshops or other activities provided by The Return Lab, we may collect information you choose to provide about your experiences.

Depending on the engagement, this could include information about:

  • your role and employment;

  • maternity or parental leave;

  • return-to-work experiences;

  • workload and responsibilities;

  • career goals;

  • workplace relationships;

  • leadership and management experiences;

  • barriers or challenges at work;

  • wellbeing in the workplace; and

  • your views about organisational practices or culture.

We will only seek information that is reasonably relevant to the service being provided.

 

3. Sensitive information

Some information provided during our work may be considered sensitive information under Australian privacy law.

For example, a participant may choose to discuss information relating to their health, pregnancy, family circumstances or other personal matters during coaching or consultation.

We will only collect sensitive information where it is reasonably necessary for our work and where we have an appropriate basis to do so, including consent where required.

Participants are not required to provide more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in a service.

 

4. How we collect information

We may collect personal information:

  • directly from you;

  • through our website or contact forms;

  • by email, telephone or video call;

  • during meetings, coaching sessions, interviews or workshops;

  • through surveys, questionnaires or assessment tools;

  • from an organisation that has engaged us;

  • from publicly available professional sources, such as company websites or LinkedIn; or

  • through service providers that support our business operations.

Where practical, we will collect personal information directly from the individual concerned.

Where a client organisation provides us with employee information, we expect the organisation to have the appropriate authority to provide that information to us.

 

5. How we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries;

  • prepare proposals and scopes of work;

  • deliver consulting, advisory, training and coaching services;

  • conduct audits, assessments, interviews and surveys;

  • communicate with clients and participants;

  • manage our business relationships;

  • analyse workplace trends and themes;

  • develop recommendations and reports;

  • improve our services and methodologies;

  • manage invoicing and administration;

  • maintain appropriate business records;

  • protect our legal rights;

  • comply with applicable legal obligations; and

  • communicate with you about relevant services, insights or updates where permitted.

We will not use personal information for purposes unrelated to the reason it was collected unless permitted by law or with your consent where required.

 

6. Coaching, interviews and participant confidentiality

The Return Lab recognises that trust and confidentiality are particularly important when employees participate in coaching, interviews or other individual discussions.

Where an organisation commissions our services, we will make reasonable efforts to explain to participants:

  • the purpose of the engagement;

  • what information may be collected;

  • how that information may be used;

  • what information may be shared with the commissioning organisation; and

  • any limits that apply to confidentiality.

Unless otherwise agreed or required by law, we will not ordinarily provide a client organisation with a detailed account of an individual participant's confidential coaching conversations.

Where appropriate, we may provide clients with:

  • aggregated findings;

  • anonymised themes;

  • participation information;

  • general observations;

  • trends across groups of participants; or

  • recommendations arising from our work.

Where individual information is intended to be shared with the commissioning organisation, we will aim to make this clear to the participant before the information is collected.

 

7. De-identified and aggregated information

Where appropriate, The Return Lab may combine or de-identify information collected through consulting, interviews, surveys, coaching or other services.

We may use aggregated or de-identified information to:

  • identify workplace trends;

  • prepare client reports;

  • improve our methodologies;

  • evaluate the effectiveness of our services;

  • develop insights and thought leadership; and

  • inform future service development.

We will take reasonable steps to avoid identifying individuals where information is represented as anonymous or aggregated.

We will not intentionally publish information that identifies a client organisation or individual participant without appropriate permission, unless required by law.

 

8. Disclosure of personal information

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to operate our business or deliver our services.

This may include disclosure to:

  • contractors or consultants working with The Return Lab;

  • IT, website, email or cloud service providers;

  • survey, scheduling, video conferencing or communications platforms;

  • professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers or insurers;

  • the organisation that commissioned our services, subject to the confidentiality arrangements applying to the relevant engagement;

  • regulators, courts or government authorities where required by law; or

  • another party where you have consented to the disclosure.

We do not sell personal information.

 

9. Overseas disclosure and cloud services

Some of the technology and cloud services we use may store or process information outside Australia.

Where personal information may be held or processed overseas, we will take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to ensure that information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable privacy obligations.

The location of overseas service providers may change from time to time depending on the platforms used by The Return Lab.

Where a particular client engagement requires specific data-hosting or security arrangements, those requirements may be addressed separately in the relevant engagement agreement.

 

10. Website information and cookies

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically.

This may include:

  • your IP address;

  • browser type;

  • device type;

  • pages visited;

  • referring website;

  • approximate location;

  • date and time of access; and

  • information about how the website is used.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, understand website traffic and improve the user experience.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, although doing so may affect some website functionality.

Where we use third-party analytics, advertising or similar tools, information may also be processed in accordance with the privacy practices of those providers.

 

11. Marketing communications

If you enquire about or engage with The Return Lab, we may occasionally send you information about our services, insights, events or other information we believe may be relevant to your professional interests.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe function provided or contacting us directly.

We will continue to send service-related communications where necessary for an existing engagement or business relationship.

 

12. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from:

  • misuse;

  • interference;

  • loss;

  • unauthorised access;

  • unauthorised modification; and

  • unauthorised disclosure.

These measures may include password protection, access controls, secure cloud services and limiting access to information to those who reasonably require it.

However, no electronic transmission or storage method is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

 

13. How long we keep information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for:

  • the purpose for which it was collected;

  • delivery and administration of our services;

  • legitimate business recordkeeping;

  • insurance or professional obligations; and

  • compliance with legal requirements.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or de-identify it where appropriate.

 

14. Accessing and correcting your information

You may contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you or to ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

There may be circumstances in which access cannot be provided, including where permitted or required by law. If this occurs, we will explain the reason where appropriate.

 

15. Privacy concerns and complaints

If you have a question or concern about how The Return Lab has handled your personal information, please contact us.

We will aim to consider and respond to privacy concerns within a reasonable period.

If your concern relates to information collected as part of an engagement commissioned by your employer or another organisation, we may need to consider the contractual and confidentiality arrangements applying to that engagement when responding.

 

16. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to external websites.

The Return Lab is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

 

17. Children

The Return Lab's services are primarily intended for organisations and working adults.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through our website as part of our ordinary business activities.

 

18. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, services, technology or legal obligations.

The current version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated.

 

19. Contact us

For questions, requests or concerns relating to privacy, please contact:

The Return Lab
Samantha Summers
Email: info@thereturnlab.com

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