At the customer’s side from start to finish

In our 72-year history, we have helped countless employers launch their businesses. During the growth stages of their organisations, we also offer them a wide range of HR services in addition to payroll administration. The service we provide when the end is inevitable is, however, hardly ever mentioned. But when this happens, we can also play a role in making that process as smooth and efficient as possible.

Johan Hellemans, HR Manager at Magna Exteriors, tells his story.

“Magna is one of the world’s largest automotive industry suppliers, with two production sites in Belgium under the name Belplas Industries. Belplas Genk used to supply Ford, and Belplas Huizingen, Audi Brussels. In Genk, a first collective redundancy plan with full closure had to be prepared from 2013, and the closure of two of the three assembly departments in Huizingen was subsequently announced.”

Trusted and reliable

“Both sites had relied on SD Worx for years as a provider of payroll and other services, such as legal advice. It was obvious that SD Worx could also lead them in the right direction in this final stage. In my career, at least three-quarters of the companies I worked with sought the expertise of SD Worx. When we started collaborating on the collective redundancy, restructuring and support in Genk and Huizingen, SD Worx was already a trusted and reliable partner. During the preparation phase and in the various discussions of the social plan, we always collaborated very closely and consulted with SD Worx and an external law firm.”

Adding value in diverse ways

“As a payroll services provider, SD Worx had all the payroll and employee data. And since they are experts, they were able to take care of all calculations and simulations during and after the social consultation. Moreover, they had sufficient numbers of legal-technical specialists to discuss the individual impacts with all employees concerned. Afterwards, they also supported collective information sessions that took place prior to the dismissals. These are certainly major assets, but their experts were also worth their weight in gold. Depending on the themes and the interests, they took part in the discussions on relevant regulations and changes in these frameworks. Having someone like that on your side is very reassuring for all parties.”

Building on a foundation of trust

When, with the closure of the third department, we reached the final stage of the collective redundancy in Huizingen, we were able to build on the solid foundation that we had previously laid and went straight to the essentials. This allowed us to reap the benefits in terms of manpower and time, as, together with SD Worx, we were able to build on earlier consultations. Even after the closure at the end of July 2018, SD Worx will remain a reliable partner by taking care of further follow-up and, among other things, the administrative processing of various related aspects.”