The two systems stay linked
Every contract refers to the placement it belongs to, so a contract in the payroll system can always be linked to its placement in the recruitment system. Before, that was sometimes impossible.
LiveCreated for
Automatic link check
Every new contract is checked automatically for its reference to the placement, so the payroll system and the recruitment system stay linked.
- Role
- Designed and built from start to finish
- Period
- July – August 2026
What it is
Derec is a Dutch staffing agency. When a candidate starts working through Derec, that placement is recorded in the recruitment system and a contract is created in the payroll system, where the hours worked are invoiced. A reference in the contract to the placement is the link between those two systems: only with it can contract and placement be put together and used together. I built a solution that automatically checks every new contract for that reference and e-mails administration when it is missing.
Contract 2041In the payroll systemStatusFinalReference to placementEmpty
AdministrationOne e-mail
To administration
Contract 2041 is missing its referenceAdd the reference to the placement to the contract.
What it improves
A missing link shows up straight away
Administration is notified as soon as the contract is final. Before, a missing reference only surfaced when the data from both systems was needed together.
Data that can be used together
With contract and placement linked, other applications can use the data from both systems together. Before, administration first had to trace a contract without a reference by hand.
The problem
BEFORE
With a contract made by hand, the field sometimes stayed empty
Usually the recruitment system fills in the reference itself. When a contract is made by hand in the payroll system, an employee has to fill it in, and nothing checked whether that really happened. If the field stayed empty, that only came to light when the data was needed together.
THE USUAL SOLUTION
Why not a weekly check
The usual solution is a list of contracts that someone goes through every week. That is recurring manual work, and a contract has then been in use for days before anyone sees the mistake. That is why this solution checks at the moment the contract is created, and administration only hears something when there is something to fix.
The solution
THE MOMENT
Check as soon as the contract exists
The payroll system, in which Derec manages contracts and hours, passes on every new or changed contract straight away. The check thus finds a missing reference while the contract is still being processed.
Contract 2041 is finalIs checkedNow
The hours on this contractAre processedLater
THE CHECK
Only final contracts
A draft contract is still being filled in, and a contract that is ending is an old one. So the check only looks at a contract at the moment it becomes final.
DraftSkipped
FinalChecked
EndedSkipped
THE MESSAGE
One e-mail to administration
If the reference is still missing a minute later, administration gets an e-mail. It names the contract and what needs to be done, so administration can fix it straight away.
To administration
Contract 2041 is missing its referenceAdd the reference to the placement to the contract.Or create a new contract with the reference filled in.
CONNECTION
What the link is needed for
With the reference, the data from the payroll system and the recruitment system can be used together. The margin dashboard is one example: that is how it links invoiced hours to a placement. If the reference is missing, a line waits there until administration has worked out where it belongs.
Margin dashboardInvoiced hours per contract
Contract 2041Linked
Contract 2057Linked
Contract 2063Waiting for administration
What it runs on
- Webhook from the payroll systemPasses on every new or changed contract straight away.
- Delayed job queueHolds a contract for a minute before the check looks at it.
- E-mail notificationSends the message to administration.
The payoff
Derec has used the check since July 2026. Administration now fixes a contract without a reference as soon as it is final, so the payroll system and the recruitment system stay linked.
A contract without a referenceBeforeOnly showed up when the data was needed togetherNowIs reported as soon as the contract is final
Contract and placementBeforeSometimes impossible to linkNowStay linked to each other
Who keeps watchBeforeA colleague, when it came to light laterNowThe system, for every contract