Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
Mutual Works Benchmarks is an independent research initiative by Mutual Works. We conduct research into hiring and job-search experiences and publish what we learn through benchmarks, reports and other research content.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.
1. Who is responsible for your data?
Mutual Works Benchmarks is currently operated as an independent project.
- Data controller:
- Ipek Tez Jaaniste
- Project:
- Mutual Works
- Privacy contact:
- privacy@mutual.works
- Website:
- benchmarks.mutual.works
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, you can contact us at privacy@mutual.works.
2. What information do we collect?
The information we collect depends on how you interact with Mutual Works Benchmarks.
Research surveys
When you participate in a survey, we may collect:
- your survey responses
- information about your role, company, industry or professional situation
- your experiences and opinions relating to hiring or job searching
- written responses you choose to provide
- your email address, if you choose to provide it
- your preferences about receiving research results or hearing from Mutual Works
- basic technical or referral information associated with your submission
Providing contact information is optional unless clearly stated otherwise.
Research interviews
If you participate in a research interview, we may collect your contact and professional information, the experiences and opinions you choose to share, and our research notes.
If an interview is recorded or transcribed, we will let you know beforehand and obtain consent where required.
Contact form
If you contact us through the website, we may collect your name, email address, the contents of your message, and basic information relating to your submission.
Website analytics
If you consent to analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how people find and use Mutual Works Benchmarks.
This may include information about pages viewed, website interactions, referral source, approximate location, device and browser information, and session activity.
We do not intentionally send the contents of your survey responses, research interviews or contact-form messages to Google Analytics.
3. How do we use your information?
We use survey responses and research interviews to understand how hiring and job searching work in practice, identify recurring patterns, and produce original research.
Research may be used to create statistics, benchmarks, charts, reports, articles and other editorial content published by Mutual Works Benchmarks.
What we learn may also help inform the development and improvement of Mutual Works and the products and experiences we build.
We may use contact information to respond to inquiries, arrange research participation, or send research results you have requested.
If you have specifically indicated that you are open to hearing from Mutual Works, we may also contact you personally about what we are building, including opportunities to try Mutual Works or share feedback.
Participating in our research does not automatically add you to a newsletter or automated promotional email list.
4. How do we publish research?
Research findings are published in aggregated or anonymised form.
We do not publish your name, email address or other information that directly identifies you as part of our benchmark results or research reports unless you have specifically agreed otherwise.
Survey responses may be combined with those of other participants to produce statistics, benchmarks and patterns.
For qualitative interviews, we may publish themes, observations or anonymised excerpts from conversations. We will not attribute a quote, opinion or finding to you or your company by name without your permission.
Some participants voluntarily provide contact information and interview participants may be known to us. This means the underlying research data is not necessarily anonymous to Mutual Works.
However, our published research is designed not to identify individual participants unless they have explicitly agreed to be identified.
5. Communication preferences
Participation in Mutual Works Benchmarks research is voluntary.
Where we ask for contact information, we may separately ask whether you would like to receive research results, participate in further research, or hear from Mutual Works.
Agreeing to one does not automatically mean agreeing to the others.
We do not automatically enrol research participants in newsletters or automated promotional marketing.
If you have agreed to hear from Mutual Works, we may contact you directly about what we are building, opportunities to try the platform, or ways to provide feedback.
You can change your mind about future communications at any time by contacting privacy@mutual.works.
6. Cookies and analytics
Mutual Works Benchmarks uses necessary storage for essential website functionality and to remember your privacy preferences.
With your permission, we also use analytics cookies through Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the website.
Analytics is optional. You can accept or reject analytics cookies when you first visit the website and change your choice later through Cookie Preferences.
Rejecting analytics does not prevent you from using the website or participating in our research.
7. Services we use
We use third-party services to help operate Mutual Works Benchmarks.
Tally
We use Tally to host and process our online research surveys. Information submitted through our surveys is processed through Tally's infrastructure on our behalf.
Google Analytics
Where you have consented to analytics, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand website usage and improve the website and research experience.
Website and email infrastructure
We use third-party hosting, database and email infrastructure to operate the website, securely store submissions and deliver messages such as contact-form notifications.
We only provide service providers with information reasonably necessary for them to perform their services.
8. Legal bases for processing
Depending on how you interact with us, we may process personal information based on:
- Consent, such as for optional analytics cookies and communications you have specifically agreed to receive.
- Legitimate interests, such as conducting and analysing research, developing and improving Mutual Works, operating our website and responding to inquiries.
- Legal obligations, where processing or retention is required by applicable law.
Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time.
9. How long do we keep information?
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
Research responses may be retained throughout the research project and for a reasonable period afterwards to support analysis and publication.
Contact information is retained only while it remains necessary for the purpose for which it was provided, or until you withdraw your consent or ask us to delete it, subject to applicable legal requirements.
Analytics information is retained according to the retention settings configured in Google Analytics.
Aggregated or genuinely anonymised research findings that can no longer identify an individual may be retained indefinitely as part of our published research.
10. Sharing your information
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share information with service providers that help us operate the website, conduct research, process survey submissions, deliver email or provide analytics.
We may also disclose information where required by law or necessary to protect our legal rights.
Published research is handled as described above and is intended to be aggregated or anonymised.
11. International data transfers
Some service providers we use may process personal information outside the country where you live.
Where required by applicable law, appropriate safeguards are used for international transfers of personal information.
12. Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:
- access personal information we hold about you
- correct inaccurate information
- request deletion of your information in certain circumstances
- restrict or object to certain processing
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- request portability of certain information
- lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority
To exercise a privacy right, contact privacy@mutual.works.
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.
13. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
No online service can guarantee absolute security.
14. Children
Mutual Works Benchmarks is intended for professionals and people involved in hiring or navigating the job market.
Our research is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our research, website, service providers or data practices change.
When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page.
16. Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our research practices or personal information we hold about you, contact: