Cancellation Policy

Plans change. This policy explains how a Client or Talent cancels an Engagement on Workley, what happens when they do, and how our self-service cancellation mechanism works. Cancelling is deliberately simple - but because it has real consequences for the other party, every cancellation requires an explicit confirmation and verification of your identity by SMS. This policy forms part of our Terms & Conditions and works together with the Return & Refund Policy and the Service Agreement.

1. What this policy covers

This policy governs the cancellation of an Engagement - a working relationship between a Client and Talent formed on the Platform (see the definitions in our Terms & Conditions). It covers:

• who may cancel, and when;
• the exact steps of the on-Platform cancellation mechanism, including SMS identity verification;
• the financial and practical consequences of cancelling, before and after onboarding; and
• the records Workley keeps of every cancellation.

It does not cover closing your Workley account (see clause 18 of the Terms), refunds in general (see the Return & Refund Policy), or a simple decision not to accept an invitation - declining an invite is not a cancellation.

2. Two stages: withdrawal vs cancellation

What ending an Engagement means depends on how far it has progressed:

The on-Platform cancellation mechanism in clause 4 applies to the second stage. It is the "reasonable written notice" contemplated by clause 11 of the Service Agreement: a cancellation submitted through the Platform is effective notice to the other party.

3. Your right to cancel

• Both parties may cancel. Either the Client or the Talent may cancel an Engagement at any time using the self-service mechanism, without needing Workley's approval.
• No lock-in by Workley. Workley never forces an Engagement to continue. Contractual consequences of cancelling (such as paying for work already done) are between the Client and the Talent under the Service Agreement.
• Talent before onboarding. Talent is under no obligation to begin any work before onboarding is complete, and may withdraw at that stage without using the formal mechanism at all - simply do not counter-sign, or cancel from your dashboard.
• Not a way to avoid paying. Cancelling does not erase amounts already owed for work properly performed (clause 6), and marking records inaccurately to avoid payment is a breach of our Terms.

4. How to cancel (the self-service mechanism)

Cancellation is self-service and takes about a minute, from your dashboard:

1. Find the Engagement. Clients: open the project and find the talent's card. Talent: open your Jobs section (or the invitation with a pending signature). Choose "Cancel engagement".
2. Review the consequences. The Platform shows you a summary of what cancelling means for you (based on this policy) before you continue.
3. Give a reason. Select a reason for cancelling (and add an optional note). The reason is recorded and shown to the other party - honest, professional reasons help everyone.
4. Confirm you understand. Tick the confirmation that you understand the consequences and that cancellation cannot be undone.
5. Verify it's you by SMS. We send a one-time code to your account's verified phone number. Enter the code to complete the cancellation. This step is mandatory - it protects you against cancellations made from a stolen or borrowed session.

Effect is immediate and final. Once verified, the Engagement is marked cancelled for both parties, the other party is notified on the Platform, and the cancellation cannot be reversed. If you later want to work together again, the Client simply invites the Talent afresh and a new Service Agreement is signed - the cancelled record stays intact for accuracy.

If you cannot receive SMS on your verified number, contact hello@workley.co.za from your account email and we will verify you another way before processing the cancellation manually.

5. Cancelling before onboarding

Before both parties have signed the Service Agreement, no work should have started and no payment is due:

• Client: you may dismiss an accepted talent, withdraw an invitation, or cancel after you have signed but before the Talent counter-signs. No Engagement payment is due. Any Workley fee you paid for that Engagement is fully refundable under clause 4 of the Return & Refund Policy.
• Talent: you may decline, withdraw, or cancel at any point before counter-signing, without penalty. You were never obligated to begin work.
• If work was nevertheless performed before onboarding, it was performed at the parties' own risk, contrary to the Terms - Workley encourages a fair settlement but the protections of the Service Agreement do not apply to it.

6. Cancelling after onboarding

Once Talent is Onboarded, the Service Agreement is in force, so cancellation is a termination of that agreement under its clause 11:

• Work already done must be paid for. The Client remains liable for work properly performed up to the moment of cancellation, at the agreed rate or a fair pro-rata amount. The Platform's payment record ("paid" / "unpaid") should be settled and updated accordingly.
• Work not yet done falls away. Neither party owes the other for work that had not been performed at cancellation, unless their separate project terms say otherwise (for example, an agreed cancellation fee or notice period).
• Handover. The Talent should hand over work-in-progress that has been paid for, and each party must return or delete the other's confidential information, as clause 11 of the Service Agreement requires.
• Timing. Cancellation takes effect immediately on the Platform. If the parties agreed a notice period in their project terms, cancelling on the Platform starts that notice - the parties honour the remainder between themselves.

7. Money when an Engagement is cancelled

• Refunds and payments on cancellation are governed by the Return & Refund Policy: in short, nothing is due before onboarding; after onboarding, work delivered is paid for, work not delivered is not.
• The Platform keeps the payment status of a cancelled Engagement visible to both parties so the accounting stays accurate. Settle outstanding amounts promptly - a cancelled Engagement with an honest "unpaid" record is still a debt.
• Any Workley fee follows clause 6 of the Return & Refund Policy (refundable before onboarding, or where charged in error).
• Do not use chargebacks to unwind a legitimate cancellation - see clause 9 of the Return & Refund Policy.

8. Deliverables, intellectual property & confidentiality

• IP follows payment. Under the Service Agreement, deliverables are assigned to the Client on full payment. On cancellation, the Client owns what has been paid for; the Talent retains what has not been paid for.
• Confidentiality survives. Both parties' confidentiality obligations continue after cancellation (clause 5 of the Service Agreement).
• Return of materials. Each party must return or delete the other's confidential information and materials after cancellation.

9. Cooling-off (ECTA section 44)

Where the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 applies to a transaction, a consumer may have a 7-day cooling-off right. As explained in clause 3 of the Return & Refund Policy, that right generally does not apply once services have begun with the consumer's consent or where work is produced to the consumer's specification. Nothing in this policy limits any cooling-off right that does lawfully apply - cancelling through the mechanism in clause 4 is the way to exercise it.

10. Notice & records

• A cancellation submitted on the Platform is effective written notice to the other party under the Service Agreement, per section 12 of ECTA (legal effect of data messages).
• The other party is notified in their dashboard, and the Engagement is marked cancelled for both parties.
• Workley records who cancelled, when (server time), the reason selected and any note. Both parties can see this record. It cannot be edited afterwards - by either party or by the person who cancelled.
• Cancellation records, messages and signed agreements are retained in line with our Privacy Policy and can be produced to help resolve a dispute.

11. Fair use - don't abuse cancellation

Cancellation exists to let people exit an Engagement cleanly, not to game the marketplace. The following are breaches of our Terms and may lead to warnings, restrictions or account termination:

• cancelling to avoid paying for work properly performed, or to pressure the other party into unagreed terms;
• a pattern of accepting or onboarding engagements and cancelling them in bad faith (for either role);
• cancelling and re-engaging off-Platform to avoid Workley fees; or
• using dishonest reasons or notes to harm the other party's reputation.

12. Security of the cancellation mechanism

• SMS verification is mandatory. Every cancellation must be confirmed with a one-time code sent to the account's verified phone number. A cancellation cannot be completed from your account without it.
• Recorded server-side. The cancellation timestamp is set by our servers, not your device, and our security rules prevent anyone - including the other party - from forging, editing or reversing a cancellation record.
• Keep your phone number current. You are responsible for keeping your verified number up to date and for activity on your account. If you believe an Engagement was cancelled without your authority, contact hello@workley.co.za immediately.

13. Reviews after cancellation

Reviews remain governed by clause 12 of the Terms. A Client may review Talent they have paid, including where the Engagement was later cancelled. Reviews must be genuine and must not be used to retaliate for a legitimate cancellation.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the updated version with a new "last updated" date and, for material changes, take reasonable steps to notify you. Cancellations are governed by the version in force when the cancellation is made.

15. Contact

Workley (Pty) Ltd
Email: hello@workley.co.za

This policy is tailored to Workley's marketplace model, the two-party Service Agreement and South African law (ECTA, CPA, POPIA). Please have it reviewed by an admitted South African attorney before launch or any material change to the cancellation mechanism.