Right to Work is a high-stake responsibility—especially for facilities management & security services companies with high volume workforces. It’s a process which many FM & SS hirers spend endless amounts of time and money on to avoid liability. And it’s easy to see why: companies found to be engaging illegal workers can face their details being published by immigration enforcement, a £20,000 fine per illegal worker or even five years in prison. The financial, reputational, and legal damage that an incorrect assessment can bring strikes fear across industries.

However, many don’t recognise that their current tech choice may be part of the problem. Too many FM & SS companies are reluctant to review their long-standing operations. In opting for outdated, siloed, and complex tech stacks, visibility and accuracy are severely reduced—especially in those relying on manual operation.

Modern and specialist solutions can help simplify the process, saving time and money. Latest technology like IDVT and certain VMS options can offer a strong layer of protection, being purpose-built for RTW. With increased transparency, automated functions, and AI, they can help put hirers’ minds at ease.

Please read official government guidance to find out more about latest RTW requirements.

Here are some ways that latest tech can help you stay compliant with efficiency:

Storing Documents for the Legally Required Duration

The law requires that hirers maintain a worker’s RTW documents for the duration of their placement plus a subsequent two years. When engaging high volume, high churn workers, dated on-site servers can struggle to keep up. With such tough liabilities at play, storage capacity simply isn’t something you can afford to compromise.

A cloud-based solution like VMS can easily store all required RTW documents for as long as you need; no missing data, no guesswork, and no panic when government checks come knocking.

You can quickly source any required data on a centralised, cloud-based VMS. With this, you can easily organise your temporary workforce and labour supply chain in a transparent, single sign-on environment.

Maintaining GDPR 

RTW data is highly sensitive, and it’s vital that you ensure it doesn’t land in the wrong hands. ID copies and related data must remain accessible ONLY to those with appropriate training, e.g., your internal HR team. Scattering documents across individual hard drives can be risky, and locking paper documents away isn’t a guarantee.

Cloud-based tech offers high levels of cyber security. This can keep your data under tough lock and key with encryption, ensuring it remains secure.

As well as this, the right system can enable you to configure internal access, ensuring only required team members can view documents, limiting the chances of internal non-compliance.

Identifying Counterfeit IDs

Counterfeit IDs are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and marks of a fake document aren’t always visible. Whilst manual checks are a legal requirement, many companies are taking on IDVT (Identification Validation Technology) for an added layer of protection.

These often include AI facial matching technology which assists manual checking processes to prevent human error.

IDVT is recommended by the government, provided it is used ALONGSIDE manual checks and NOT as a replacement: “if used correctly in accordance with the providers’ instructions, IDVTs are a valuable tool for identifying fraudulent identity documentation.”—(Guidance Identification Document Validation Technology—gov.uk)

Staying Compliant with RTW and Refocusing on Growth

As a facilities management/security services company looking to stay competitive, RTW compliance is not something you can afford to compromise, as your profitability and reputation are at stake. This, however, doesn’t mean you need to drain your resources for it. Swapping complex tech stacks for latest cloud-based, automated, and AI-enabled solutions can be a huge time and money saver.

By selecting an up-to-date and purpose-built technology like VMS and IDVT, you can enhance your existing workflow and reallocate saved resources. This means you can let tech streamline the RTW process and focus more on growing your business.

Learn more about ENGAGE for Facilities Management & Security Services