Research standards

Reward Hours is the research panel of Research and Metric Corporation, a market research fieldwork company. Brands, agencies and organisations use the panel to hear from real people. This page explains the professional standards we follow and what they mean for you as a member.

1. In short

• We follow the ICC/ESOMAR International Code, the global code of ethics for market, opinion and social research.
• We run the panel to the requirements of ISO 20252 for research services and protect data in line with ISO/IEC 27001 for information security.
• Taking part is always your choice, and you can leave at any time.
• Research stays separate from marketing and selling.
• Clients receive your answers without your name, unless you agree otherwise for a specific study.

2. The standards we follow

These standards are voluntary, and following them is a commitment we make in how we work. Certification is a separate, independent audit by an accredited body and is available for the two ISO standards. If Reward Hours is certified, we will show the certificate here with the certifying body and certificate number.

3. Taking part is your choice

• Every survey and study is optional. You can skip any invitation and stop any survey at any time.
• Before you start, you see the length and the reward. A study tells you first if it involves anything more, such as a recording, a product to use at home or sharing your first name with the client, and goes ahead only with your agreement.
• Questions on sensitive topics, such as health, religion or ethnicity, are always optional and are used only with your explicit consent.
• Members are 18 or over. If a study would like to hear from a child in your home, it asks you, as the parent or guardian, for permission first.
• You can leave the panel whenever you like: close your account on your account page and we erase your personal data straight away.

4. Research, kept separate from selling

• Our surveys and studies exist only to understand people's views and experiences. They are never used to sell to you.
• Clients receive answers combined with other members' answers, or without your name and contact details, and must use them only for research. They may never contact you for sales.
• Tips and news emails are separate from research, and you receive them only if you say yes.
• We say who we are: Reward Hours is run by Research and Metric Corporation, 30 N Gould St, Ste R, Sheridan, Wyoming 82801, United States.

5. Who can join and how we check

Clients rely on knowing that every member is a real, unique person. These checks protect the research and the members who take part honestly:

• Members sign up themselves on Reward Hours. New members agree to our terms and privacy policy and confirm their email address.
• We check date of birth at sign-up, and that the internet connection is in the country given and is not a VPN or proxy. A person on our team reviews sign-ups that look unusual.
• One account per person. We look for signs of duplicate accounts, such as one browser or one cash-out address used by several accounts.
• Members can verify their mobile number, work email, LinkedIn account or identity. For an ID check, a person on our team compares the photos by eye, and the photos are deleted within 30 days of the check.

6. Answer quality

• Before each survey we check that your connection is in your country and is not a VPN.
• Surveys include attention, speed and consistency checks, and clients can remove answers that were rushed or careless.
• These checks, your profile answers and your survey history add up to a trust score. When it is low, surveys pause until a person on our team reviews the account or you verify your phone, work or identity.
• Your profile answers help us invite you only to studies that fit you, so you spend less time on pre-screeners.
• We send at most 2 survey invitation emails a day and 6 a week, and you choose which emails you get on email preferences.

7. Keeping your data safe

• Every page uses an encrypted connection.
• Passwords are stored only as hashes, and older hashes are upgraded to a stronger method the next time you log in. ID photos and the keys we use with other services are stored encrypted.
• Staff see only what their role needs, and the admin console keeps a record of what staff do.
• Many log in attempts in a short time pause logging in for a while. When your password changes, your other devices are logged out and we email you.
• We keep personal data only as long as we need it, as set out in our privacy policy.
• Service providers, such as hosting, email and text message companies, work for us under contract and only on our instructions.
• If a breach puts your data at risk, we tell you and the authorities as the law requires.
• Found a security problem? Please tell us through support.

8. Fair rewards

• You see the reward before you start, and completing a survey earns the reward shown, whatever your opinions.
• Completed pre-screeners earn points, whether or not you qualify.
• Rewards are approved and paid as set out in our payment terms, and every reward and cash out is listed on your earnings page.

9. Automated checks and AI

• The automated checks above can stop a sign-up and show the reason, for example a VPN that needs turning off, pause survey invitations or ask you to verify. Rejecting a sign-up after review, suspending an account and rejecting an ID check are decided by a person on our team, and you can ask for a person to review any decision.
• Answers on Reward Hours come from our members, and we never use AI or synthetic respondents in their place.
• If a study uses AI, for example an AI interviewer, we tell you before it starts.
• Some blog articles and their pictures are drafted with the help of AI tools. A person on our team reads each one before it is published.

10. Your rights

On your account page you can download a copy of your data, see what you agreed to, change your password and close your account. You can correct your details on your profile. For anything else, such as objecting to a use of your data, see your privacy choices.

11. Questions and complaints

• Tell us about any concern with a survey, a reward, a check or how we handled a request through make a complaint. A person on our team looks into every complaint, and we aim to reply within one working day.
• For privacy questions, email privacy@rewardhours.com. We reply within one month.
• You can also contact the data protection authority where you live. A list is on your privacy choices.