A workplace inspection tests whether your records match the work actually being performed. For a foreign employer posting employees to France, preparation means more than keeping a SIPSI receipt: the site team, payroll department and employer representative need access to consistent information.
Know what the inspection concerns
The labour inspectorate checks employment rules, including working time, remuneration and occupational health and safety. Social-security checks may involve URSSAF. Identify the authority, the employees and period concerned, and the documents requested. Do not assume that a document supplied for one procedure answers a different authority’s question. The Ministry of Labour explains inspectors’ powers.
Prepare evidence that follows the assignment
Before work starts, compare the planned team, locations and dates with the declaration where one is required. Check the availability of:
- The posting declaration and representative’s details.
- Pay records and evidence of actual payment, with the information required for the posting’s duration.
- Daily records showing the start, end and duration of work.
- The relevant medical-examination evidence and, where applicable, work authorisation.
- Evidence of the applicable social-security legislation, including an A1 certificate where relevant.
The A1 identifies the social-security legislation applicable to the worker; it is not, by itself, proof that every contribution has been paid. See the CLEISS posting guidance.
Organise access and French translations before a request arrives. The required posting documents must generally be presented without delay, with specific timing rules for certain exempt situations. A shared folder helps only if the representative can open the right records promptly. Check the official document and presentation requirements.
Check working conditions, not just the folder
Compare recorded hours with the real schedule and payroll. Review overtime, rest, the applicable remuneration and the collective agreement relevant to the work. A properly filed declaration does not correct underpayment or an unlawful schedule.
Check the risks of the actual task, protective equipment, training and site arrangements with those responsible for the work. Keep evidence of the preventive measures taken. French health and safety rules form part of the rights applicable to posted employees; the employer remains responsible for implementing them.
Respond accurately during the inspection
Do not obstruct the inspection. Record the request, the inspector’s contact details, the documents provided and any deadline. Alert the employer representative and the person responsible for payroll or site records. Provide factual answers; if a detail needs checking, establish it from the records rather than guessing.
Preserve original documents and record corrections transparently. Do not recreate past time records as though they had been kept contemporaneously. Where an issue is identified, distinguish immediate corrective action from an explanation of the earlier facts. Seek appropriate legal advice for a disputed finding, formal notice or sanction.
Arrange representation before it becomes urgent
Where the posting requires a representative in France, obtain their agreement before naming them. Specific exemptions exist, including own-account postings and certain listed activities; this is not a blanket requirement for every foreign business operating in France.
ALTALEO, through EUROBC SAS in Forbach, provides employer representation and SIPSI assistance in France, helping organise the administrative file and communication with inspection services. Contact us to discuss your assignment and request a quotation. If an inspection has already begun, send the request and stated deadline so that the assistance possible can be assessed; a new mandate does not retrospectively complete earlier formalities.
