How your personal information is stored and used

At the International Organisation of Employers, we are committed to respecting your privacy and protecting the personal information we collect from you. This policy explains when, how and why the IOE (hereafter “we”) collects and processes personal information provided by members and visitors to our website and participants in our meetings. In line with current legal requirements, this policy also informs you about the security measures for protecting that information, the conditions for sharing it, as well as your personal rights in this context.

This policy can be modified at any time following legislative or technical developments, in order for us to stay compliant. Should any change occur, they will be published on the IOE website as part of this policy. The date at which this policy was last modified will always be clearly indicated at the top of it.

If you have any questions, complaints or queries with regard to how we use your information, we encourage you to contact us at: ioe@ioe-emp.com or visit our website and contact one of us directly. It may take up to a maximum of 30 working days for us to process your request.

Our obligations

The IOE determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data we hold and is therefore the data controller for the personal information we are provided with by our members, corporate partners and website visitors. The IOE Secretariat headquarters are located in Geneva, Avenue Louis-Casai 71, 1216 Cointrin, Switzerland. The Secretariat can be reached through the following: phone number (+41 22 929 00 00), fax number (+41 22 929 00 01), or email (ioe@ioe-emp.com).

Who is concerned by this privacy policy?

This privacy policy covers the collection and processing of personal information of members and corporate partners of the IOE and their staff, of contractual partners, of people who have expressed an interest in the IOE (newsletter subscribers or IOE event participants for example) and its activities as well as people with which the IOE engages in the framework of its mission and activities.

How and why we collect and process personal data?

The IOE collects and processes personal information in order to provide members, corporate and other partners with services they request such as information resources that are sent electronically (newsletter and news), organisation of events, representation in international policy-making forums, processing of contracts and job applications, etc. The IOE also collects personal information of all visitors to the IOE website in order to continuously improve its functioning and monitor its use (anonymized data for statistics and website usage and login session tracking cookies). The IOE does not collect any personal information it does not need in order to provide and oversee our services to members and corporate partners. The IOE does not commercialise or sell any personal information nor do we share it with third parties for aggregation, profiling, segmentation, or targeted marketing.

If you are or become a member or corporate partner of the IOE we collect information such as your and your organisation’s name, position, work address, phone number, email address, billing information or any other data with which you provide us voluntarily.

If you are a person or organisation who contacted or was contacted by the IOE or its staff in the framework of its work and activities (employers’ representatives, company representatives, other business and private sector organisations, international organisations, etc.) we collect the data with which you provide us voluntarily (name, organisation, email address, position, other contact details) and use it to provide services and activities that were mutually agreed upon.

All collected data is stored as part of the IOE’s work and activities aimed at fulfilling its mission of representing business interests in international employment and social policies (communicating and coordinating activities and work).

The IOE can, in certain cases, transmit your data to third parties and data processors: to sub-contractors in the framework of activities linked to the mission and work of the IOE such as organising events; to the competent authorities or any other legal entities to fulfil legal obligations or for purposes of law enforcement; in the event of a joint event to the co-organiser or supporting partner; or if you consent to it.

Current data protection legislation requires a specific legal basis to process personal information. The IOE collects and processes personal information on the following legal bases: specific consent, performance of a contract and legitimate interests. The IOE keeps your data for as long as your relationship with the IOE prevails. This is without prejudice to specific limitation periods foreseen by law allowing to conserve personal data for longer periods of time.

Do we use cookies?

When you visit our website, you have the possibility of seeing the cookies that are being used and switching them on or off. The IOE does not use cookies to track visitors to its website. The IOE only uses cookies for establishing anonymous statistics regarding the usage of the website and for tracking login sessions of members.

How do we protect your data?

We take all the necessary organisational and technical measures to make sure your data remains protected against data breaches (that is, unauthorised access, alterations or disclosures; unlawful or accidental destruction or loss). IOE staff is aware of and trained on the importance of data protection, privacy and active consent and follows appropriate steps to respect privacy, confidentiality and security of your personal data

What happens in the case of a data breach?

In the case of a security breach or personal data theft we will use all technical and organisational means available to contain and minimise impacts of the breach. We apply the latest technological standards (firewall, etc.) to make sure the risk of breach is minimised.

In the event of a breach we will communicate the relevant information to the people concerned as soon as possible.

What are your rights?

All data subjects have rights when it comes to the collection and processing of their personal information which they can exercise by contacting the relevant entity (the organisation or company that is holding or using the personal information). These rights are the following:

  • You have the right to access your personal data;
  • You have the right to rectify, complete or update your information if it is inaccurate;
  • You may also request the transfer of your personal data to another entity;
  • You have the right to request that we cease using your data for direct marketing purposes (e.g. subscription to newsletter or communications);
  • Subject to some exceptions, you may request us to erase your data, cease to process them or withdraw your consent. If you decide to do so you may no longer benefit from all our services.

You can exercise these rights by contacting the IOE at ioe@ioe-emp.com. A proof of identity will be required in order to duly process the request.

How long is your information kept?

We keep your information for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. This means that some information, for example member or corporate partner contact details, will stay with us for as long as you are a member or corporate partners, or for as long as you maintain a relationship with the IOE. The length of time for which we retain your personal information is also determined by operational and legal considerations. For example, we are legally required to hold some types of information to fulfil our statutory and regulatory obligations (for example, health/safety and tax/accounting purposes).