Workforce builds, and the check each one moved earlier
Three platforms running for staffing and HR operators. Every one moved a check from the audit at the end to the moment it still mattered.
A workforce system earns its keep at the moment of dispatch. Not in the report afterwards. Shift Link refuses a shift to a worker whose right-to-work document has expired, and that single rule is worth more than any dashboard.
What workforce engineering actually demands
4 things that decide this
- 01Shift Link is a UK recruitment platform that onboards workers, validates documents, checks right-to-work status and then schedules only the people who are eligible.
- 02The UK Government Right-to-Work API validates documents and tracks expiry automatically, so the compliance check runs before scheduling rather than after an audit.
- 03ExtraaJe reads shift activity from Planwork and assigns reward points automatically, with nobody tracking overtime by hand.
- 04WAIQ carries training modules, quizzes and readiness dashboards across every site, department and role.
Workforce systems running in production
Three workforce problems, three builds
Compliance, recognition and standard process are different jobs. Each one needed a different system.
| Build | The problem | What we built | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift Link | Compliance lived in spreadsheets, checked too late. | Document validation that gates shift eligibility. | Recruitment, United Kingdom |
| ExtraaJe | Recognition depended on someone noticing. | Points assigned from real shift data, redeemed in an app. | Workforce engagement, Europe |
| WAIQ | Every site trained people its own way. | SOPs, workflows and quizzes with readiness tracking. | Multi-site operations |
- OnboardWorker record created.
- ValidateDocuments checked, expiry stored.
- GateIneligible workers see no shifts.
- Clock inGPS and face, on site.
- PayHours and margin from one record.
Most HR systems put the check after step five. Shift Link put it at step three.
A right-to-work check protects you only if you did it properly
A scanned passport in a folder is not a defence. What protects you is a record showing you checked the right thing, on the right date, and stopped work when it lapsed.
So the expiry date has to drive the schedule. Shift Link tracks it and removes the worker from eligible lists before the shift is offered. Nobody has to remember, and nobody can quietly override it.
- Store the check, the date and the outcome. A file alone proves nothing.
- Let expiry change eligibility automatically, not through a reminder email.
- Log every override with a name against it. Overrides happen; unattributed ones are the problem.
The layer your HRIS was never built to cover
Your HRIS holds employment records, org structure and statutory data that took years to get right. It does not decide who is legally allowed to work tomorrow morning.
Shift Link does, and it runs its own rate cards and margin forecasting because a staffing agency prices per placement. ExtraaJe reads shift activity straight from Planwork. Both connect to what you already run rather than asking you to replace it.
- 01Document validation with expiry tracking wired into shift eligibility, not into a report.
- 02GPS and facial-recognition clock-in that produces a record nobody can quietly dispute.
- 03Rate cards and margin forecasting for businesses that price per placement.
- 04Gamified rewards scored from real shift data, and training with assessments per site and role.
The stack behind Shift Link and ExtraaJe
Platform
Integrations
Controls
“They will treat your vision like their own and build it that way.”
Ron Klabunde · Founder, SmartREI ↗
What workforce leaders ask us
01Can right-to-work checking be fully automated?
The document validation and expiry tracking can, and Shift Link does both through the UK Government Right-to-Work API. The judgement calls cannot. A mismatched name or an unusual visa condition still needs a person, so the system routes those to a consultant instead of guessing.
02Our managers already ignore the HR system. What would change?
Managers ignore systems that only ask them for data. They use ones that answer a question they had anyway. Shift Link's consultants open it because it tells them who can legally work tomorrow, which is the thing they needed to know.
03Does recognition work without someone administering it?
It does when the points come from data you already collect. ExtraaJe reads shift activity from Planwork and scores it automatically, so recognition lands the day the work happened. Schemes that need HR to nominate people quietly die within two quarters.
04Do you replace our HRIS or connect to it?
Connect, almost always. Your HRIS holds employment records, org structure and statutory data that took years to get right. We build the layer it does not cover, then read from it rather than duplicating it.
05How do you handle employee data protection?
Least privilege at the row level, rather than only in the interface. Supabase Row-Level Security means a consultant's query cannot return workers outside their scope even if a screen has a bug. Retention and deletion policy get decided during scoping. Retrofitting them into a live schema is painful.
