GI-Group is one of the largest players worldwide in the field of HR services.
In conversation with Fleur van den Heuvel, Manager CPA at GI-Group
GI-Group is one of the largest players worldwide in the field of HR services. Générale Industrielle (GI) was founded in Italy in 1998, since 2015 they have also been established in the Netherlands. GI-Group is active in the field of temporary and permanent staffing, outsourcing, recruitment and selection and HR consulting. Worldwide, GI-Group has more than 500 offices, 150 onsites (offices at customers’ locations) and 5.500 employees.
Fleur van den Heuvel: ‘What makes GI-Group unique in the flex sector is that we respond quickly and personally. We respond to changes and always provide customized advice. We examine the possibilities for each client and create a tailor-made solution. GI-Group is digitizing as many processes as possible worldwide: we call that ‘Digital Priority’. In the Netherlands, we are leading the way and are very progressive in this area. Most processes are automated, we are in the optimization phase.
We live in a world that is changing ever faster. Technological developments follow each other at a rapid pace, laws and regulations follow or are adjusted to keep up with developments. But how can a company like GI-Group continue to comply with all relevant local and international standards, laws and regulations?
Fleur van den Heuvel: ‘We are supervised by the ABU (industry organization) and Dutch standards organizations such as SNA and SNF and we have certificates such as NEN 4400. In addition, we also have a number of international certificates. The requirements of these organizations and agencies ensure that all checks are already built into our system. Audits sometimes ensure that we make small adjustments to continue to comply with all rules and laws. These audits are a moment for us to check our processes, but every time it turns out that we are already doing very well. We even try to actively monitor changes via the industry organization ABU, for example by keeping a close eye on their newsletter. And we involve our suppliers in the process. We rely on the expertise of companies such as DataChecker to keep up with the rules, but also new possibilities.
Nowadays, the onboarding of new employees is largely done online. GI-Group is a pioneer in the field of digitizing processes, but there are still companies in the flex world that do not have a digital solution for this process. Candidates are received at a branch, or a consultant comes on location to physically carry out the process. This also happened at GI-Group before the solution was integrated with DataChecker. What has this migration meant for the reliability of checks?
Fleur van den Heuvel: ‘Before we used DataChecker’s services, our consultant would check a physical ID document. We also had a device for that, which often didn’t work either. That meant that we relied on the expertise of our consultant, who all have a basic knowledge of ID documents, but of course they are not document experts. That is why GI-Group is so happy with DataChecker’s service. After all, an error is human and we prevent that with the double check. Think for example of all the residence permits from all over the world that pass by, the start and end dates of those permits must be checked properly’.
Checking the data in a residence permit or work permit is a small part of a larger onboarding process, but one with major consequences. An incorrectly entered date can lead to illegal employment and ultimately a huge fine. GI-Group uses DataChecker’s ID verification and RTW check (Right to Work Check). The ID verification is used to determine whether the candidate in question is actually the person he or she claims to be. An RTW check determines whether the person is allowed to work in the Netherlands.
Fleur van den Heuvel: ‘A RTW check can be quite complicated in practice. For example, in some European countries, identity documents are very similar to residence permits. Thanks to the RTW Check by DataChecker, GI-Group was able to prevent someone with an Italian residence permit from being employed in the Netherlands. This woman’s previous employer had missed the fact that she only had a residence permit and no identity document (the difference between an Italian ID card and a residence permit is minimal). So she had already been working in the Netherlands for a while before she joined GI-Group. With only an Italian residence permit, you are not allowed to work in the Netherlands and her previous employer was therefore in violation’.
GI-Group came into contact with DataChecker through the collaboration with software partner MySolution. The MySolution platform offers companies in the flex world a total solution in the cloud. The platform is linked to DataChecker technology. This allows companies in the flex world to verify identity documents in one system, but also to do their financial administration, for example. GI-Group has direct contact with DataChecker about integration and any questions that arise during the process.
Fleur van den Heuvel: ‘We are very positive about the collaboration with DataChecker: everything is going well. We are especially pleased with the support department of DataChecker. If something goes wrong, or a document is not approved immediately, we can send a chat message immediately. A response to our question always comes very quickly, which means the problem can be solved quickly. Our account manager also plays an important role in this. In the future, a great development would be for Mysolution to integrate all of DataChecker’s services. Inviting people to identify themselves in a secure environment (the Secure ID link) would mean a great optimization for GI-Group in the future.’
In short: the link with DataChecker helps GI-Group automate the identification and verification process. The RTW-Check ensures that GI-Group is certain that all non-Dutch candidates are actually allowed to work in the Netherlands. The digitalization of this process helps GI-Group to stay ahead and work more efficiently.
