Labour inspection: what companies underestimate and what really matters in practice

Agency staffing has become a standard part of how many companies operate today. It helps manage fluctuations, launch new projects, or strengthen teams when there is a shortage of employees on the market. At the same time, it is an area that labour inspectorates have been focusing on in increasing detail in recent years.

That is why, together with the law firm Peterka Partners, we organized a business breakfast for our clients. The discussion was created in cooperation with the French-Slovak Chamber of Commerce and the Italian-Slovak Chamber of Commerce and was based on real-life experience.

The topic was highly practical – what actually happens in a company when an inspection takes place, and what determines whether it runs smoothly.

Inspections are now part of business reality

The number of inspections and the level of fines show that this is not something companies can postpone. In 2025, nearly 17,000 inspections were carried out, with fines reaching millions of euros. In 2026, inspections focused on temporary employment agencies and specific workplaces.

From a company’s perspective, inspections are no longer exceptional events. They are situations worth being prepared for in advance.

How inspections work in practice

Interestingly, inspections do not start with paperwork. Inspectors first go directly to the workplace and speak with employees. They want to understand what a typical working day looks like, who assigns tasks, and how work is managed.

Only then do they review documentation. Employment contracts, attendance records, employee registers, and documentation related to foreign workers are compared.

The key moment comes when these two perspectives meet. What employees say must align with what is documented.

Where problems arise

In most cases, it is not about deliberate non-compliance. It is about situations that develop over time.

The company grows, projects increase, teams change. New employees or foreign workers join. Administration cannot always keep up with how quickly reality evolves.

The result is inconsistencies in documentation, delayed registrations, or formally defined processes that work differently in everyday operations.

Experience from practice

“Labour inspectorate inspections are challenging for companies mainly because they focus on details that are often overlooked in day-to-day operations. Suddenly, everything needs to be aligned – from the reality on-site to the accuracy of documentation,” says Marek Skička, Delivery Director at SYNERGIE.

From his perspective, it is not just about the inspection itself. What matters is how processes are set up beforehand.

What actually helps companies

Companies with well-structured employment processes go through inspections much more smoothly. They have clear documentation, defined responsibilities, and processes that remain functional even during change or growth.

It is not about perfection. It is about consistency and making sense of how things work.

A partnership that reduces the burden

At Synergie, we see employment as an integral part of how a company operates, not as a separate administrative task. That is why our cooperation is not just about providing employees, but also about setting up processes that work long-term and stand up to inspections.

This allows companies to focus on their priorities while being confident that their employment processes are under control.