Terms of Service | Dear Team

Terms of Services

Please read these Terms carefully before engaging Dear Team's services. By engaging our services, requesting that work commence, or paying any invoice, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

Introduction

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern the provision of services by Dear Team ("we," "us," or "our") to clients ("you" or "your") in New Zealand and internationally. Dear Team is operated by Vanja Djukic and Vanja Babic, trading as Dear Team, Auckland, New Zealand.

Our services are delivered via our website www.dearteam.co.nz, in person, online, via email, video call, and other digital formats.

Services Provided

Dear Team provides the following services:

Employee Experience (EX) surveys — including survey design, deployment, data collection, and analysis
EX Deep Dive assessments — including confidential 1:1 interviews and HR document and touchpoint reviews
EX Design — design and improvement of key employee experience moments, processes, and frameworks
People & culture consultancy — insights, advice, and practical recommendations
Any other related services or deliverables agreed in writing

We reserve the right to refuse or discontinue services at our discretion.

Acceptance of Terms

You accept these Terms by engaging our services, requesting that work commence, signing a proposal, or paying any invoice issued by Dear Team. If you are accepting on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

Fees and Payment

Service fees are outlined in the proposal provided to you prior to engagement. Unless otherwise agreed in writing:

A deposit of 50% of the total project fee is payable upon acceptance of the proposal to confirm your engagement and start date
The remaining 50% is payable upon delivery of the final report or agreed deliverable
All invoices are payable within 30 days of issue
All prices are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD) and exclude Goods and Services Tax (GST) unless stated otherwise

We reserve the right to suspend services or withhold deliverables (including survey results and reports) until outstanding payments are received. Late payments may incur interest at a rate of 2% per month on the outstanding balance.

Cancellations and Refunds

If you wish to cancel services, please notify us in writing at hello@dearteam.co.nz.

Cancellations received at least 7 business days before the agreed start date or survey launch will be eligible for a full refund of any deposit paid, less any administration costs already incurred
Cancellations received less than 7 business days before the start date will be charged for any work already completed, and the deposit may be partially or fully forfeited
Once a survey has been launched, interviews have commenced, or a project is underway, the deposit is non-refundable and you will be invoiced for work completed to that point
Refunds will not be provided where services have been fully delivered

Nothing in this clause limits any rights you may have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986.

Confidentiality

Both parties acknowledge that in the course of this engagement, confidential information will be shared. Each party agrees to:

Keep all confidential information strictly confidential and not disclose it to any third party without prior written consent
Use confidential information only for the purposes of this engagement
Take reasonable steps to protect confidential information from unauthorised access or disclosure

"Confidential information" includes — but is not limited to — employee survey responses, interview content, HR documents, business information, strategies, personnel data, and financial information.

Dear Team will not disclose your organisation's confidential information to third parties except as required by law or with your written consent. Similarly, you agree to treat Dear Team's methodologies, frameworks, tools, and proprietary materials as confidential.

Survey Respondent Confidentiality & Anonymity

Dear Team is committed to protecting the confidentiality and anonymity of all employees who participate in surveys and 1:1 interviews conducted as part of our services.

Individual survey responses will not be attributed to specific employees in any report or communication
Interview responses will be reported as themes and representative (non-attributed) insights only
We will not share individual employee responses with the client organisation in a form that could identify the respondent
Minimum response thresholds will be applied to group-level data to prevent identification

You agree not to use any data, reports, or materials provided by Dear Team in a manner that attempts to identify individual respondents, or to take adverse employment action against employees based on their perceived survey responses.

Intellectual Property

All survey tools, methodologies, frameworks, templates, and proprietary materials created by Dear Team prior to or independently of this engagement remain the sole intellectual property of Dear Team.

Deliverables created specifically for you during this engagement — including reports, recommendations, and customised frameworks — are licensed to you for internal business use only. You may not distribute, resell, sublicense, or share these materials externally without our prior written consent.

Any materials, data, or documentation you provide to Dear Team during the engagement remain your property. You grant Dear Team a limited licence to use these materials solely for the purpose of delivering the agreed services.

Dear Team may reference the nature of work completed for you (without disclosing confidential information) in case studies or portfolio materials unless you request otherwise in writing.

Data Handling and Privacy

Dear Team collects and handles personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and our Privacy Policy, available at www.dearteam.co.nz.

Personal information collected in the course of providing services will be used only for the purposes of that engagement
Employee survey responses and interview data will be stored securely and retained only as long as necessary to fulfil the engagement, or as required by law
You are responsible for obtaining any necessary consent from your employees for their participation in surveys and interviews, and for notifying them of how their data will be collected and used
Dear Team will support you in communicating with your employees about the survey process and confidentiality protections

Limitation of Liability

Our services are provided for insight, guidance, and advisory purposes. While we take reasonable care to provide accurate and evidence-informed services, we do not guarantee specific business outcomes, improvements in engagement scores, or other results.

You acknowledge that decisions and actions taken based on our surveys, reports, or recommendations remain your responsibility. Dear Team is not liable for any indirect, consequential, or special loss or damage arising from your use of, or reliance on, our services or deliverables.

To the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim arising from this engagement is limited to the fees paid by you for the specific services giving rise to the claim.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any rights or remedies that cannot be excluded under New Zealand law, including under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986.

Force Majeure

Neither party will be liable for any delay or failure to perform obligations under these Terms where such delay or failure results from circumstances outside that party's reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemic, government actions, power or internet outages, or other unforeseeable events.

If a force majeure event occurs, the affected party will notify the other party as soon as practicable, and both parties will work together in good faith to agree revised timelines or alternative arrangements.

Dispute Resolution

If a dispute arises in connection with these Terms or our services, both parties agree to first attempt to resolve it in good faith through direct written communication within 10 business days of the dispute being raised.

If resolution cannot be reached through direct communication, either party may refer the dispute to mediation in Auckland, New Zealand, before commencing any legal proceedings.

These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand and subject to the jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time by posting an updated version on our website. The updated Terms will apply to any new engagements entered into after the date of publication. We will notify existing clients of any material changes.

Contact

For questions about these Terms or our services, please contact us at: hello@dearteam.co.nz or 09 941 5156.