Contractor Guidelines & FAQs

Each client has their own guidelines for the registration and submittal of timesheets. This is discussed with each contractor during your Blue Lynx onboarding.

Digital timesheet administration varies per client and online tool.

Some contractors fill in two-time registrations (weekly or monthly) that of the client and Blue Lynx (weekly or monthly). You will be informed prior to the commencement of work when this a client policy.

When you are required to submit a timesheet, email in PDF format to HR@bluelynx.com.  Make sure this is submitted on the last working day of the month. When your annual leave falls at the end of the month make sure your timesheet is administered beforehand. Both you and your supervisor must sign your timesheet.

Overtime & illness (deductions) are processed in the following month’s salary.

Business Travel costs and travel passes are reimbursed in the following month’s salary. All receipts must be submitted by the end of the respective month. Delay will lead to a delay in reimbursement.

Rule of thumb – check with your line manager/supervisor for the clients’ guidelines pertaining to private email, internet mobile, landline usage and social media. The policy of the client must be adhered to, this varies per client.

It is common practice to keep private usage of email, internet mobile and telephone calls to a reasonably acceptable level.

NOTE: When your personal usage of the internet, social media, email and telephones are NOT kept to a “reasonable” amount this can lead to dismissal. Blue Lynx & client have the right to define what “reasonable” is.

Unless otherwise stated, employment is 40 hours per week (Monday to Friday) 8 hours per day, exclusive of lunch breaks. An employee must have a minimum 30 minute lunch break (this time is not paid time).
Please be sure to agree on working times with your direct line manager/supervisor.

When you are absent from work due to illness, please be sure to adhere to the following procedure:

1. On the first day of illness, both the Blue Lynx HR Department (+31 (0)70-311 7828) AND your supervisor/line manager must be informed by phone between 09:00 – 11:00 hrs
2. On your return to work, phone between 09:00 – 11:00 hrs or email HR@bluelynx.com
3. When you do not carry out steps 1 & 2 it could have both employment and financial repercussions

Furthermore, if there is an emergency and you cannot be found/reached, Blue Lynx will be the first port of call.

When a contractor cannot work due to illness, Blue Lynx is obliged to inform their chosen external ARBO organisation. It is mandatory to use an external ARBO organisation.

It is the responsibility of ARBO to monitor any illness. The contractor may receive a phone call or a home visit from ARBO. However, when a contractor has a long term illness both Blue Lynx and ARBO will be the employees port of call. Both organisations will facilitate and support the employee through their long term illness. When necessary they will assist with arranging treatments/therapies and ultimately the employees re-integration back to work.

For further information on ARBO, please email us at hr@bluelynx.com.

Prior written permission from your line manager/supervisor must be obtained before any overtime. Failure to do this will result in no compensation. When written permission is given, payment will be made in accordance with your employment contract.

Unless otherwise agreed – leave can only be taken when the sufficient hours have been accumulated. For your leave entitlement, please refer to your employment contract. You can always check via NMBRS, use your NMBRS Online login for an overview of your accumulated hours.

Prior to taking  leave, you must:

1. Request permission from your Line Manager/Supervisor
2. Request is agreed (hours/days) per email by your Line Manager/Supervisor
3. Submit your leave request using your NMBRS Online tool
4. Your email approval needs to be entered in the section “Add a note for your approver”. Please copy and paste the text from your email to the text box.
5. Don’t forget to fill in your timesheet correctly

NOTE: Blue Lynx does not have an unpaid leave policy.

Blue Lynx is the first port of call when there is an emergency – so it is essential that we know your whereabouts.

In order for your monthly travel cost entitlement to be reimbursed, you are required to submit your travel pass or km declaration on the last working day of the month in order for it to be reimbursed with your following month’s salary payment.

Please refer to your employment contract for the specific travel cost reimbursement policy that applies to you.

In general:
Public Transport: Blue Lynx covers public transport (tram, bus, metro, second class train) from your registered home address to your fixed work location.
Please submit your travel reimbursement via email to HR@bluelynx.com on the last day of the month, to be reimbursed in the following month.

• Monthly travel pass – send a copy of the receipt or online payment via email to HR
• Individual journeys – send an OV-chipkaart location-specific overview via email to HR

Travel reimbursement requests must be submitted no later than 3 months after the date of travel. Thereafter your travel reimbursement will no longer be accepted nor administered.

Car: Blue Lynx calculates travel per day worked, at € 0.19 per km based on the round trip distance between the registered home address and fixed work location. Blue Lynx uses the ANWB website, ‘kortste route’/shortest route for calculating distance.

• send a print screen of the ANWB travel shortest route ANWB website https://www.anwb.nl/verkeer/routeplanner and a kilometre overview for actual days travelled in that period

Blue Lynx must be informed prior to any business travel:

1. Contact the HR Department (HR@bluelynx.com) and submit the dates and location of your business trip.
   1. Ensure you have approval from your manager for all costs you request to be reimbursed
   2. Blue Lynx will arrange suitable travel/business insurance
   3. Blue Lynx will issue you a travel insurance card.

NOTE: As your employer, it is Blue Lynx’s responsibility to provide you with Business Travel insurance and not the Client.

Important: It is imperative that you inform Blue Lynx. When you travel on behalf of a Client without informing Blue Lynx prior to your trip you won’t be insured – you will be travelling at your own risk and without company insurance.
Claiming Expenses
Some Clients pay Contractors directly and some pay Contractors via Blue Lynx.
Payment via Client
This varies per Client and you will have to ask for their reimbursement policy.
Payment via Blue Lynx
Please submit a completed and signed expense claim form; attach the original receipts. You will be reimbursed for valid and approved receipts. Do not lose any receipt otherwise, you won’t be reimbursed.

Medical Insurance (Zorgverzekering)

In accordance with the Zorgverzekeringswet (Medical Insurance Law), it is compulsory for every resident of The Netherlands (Military personnel excluded) to have basic medical insurance (Basisverzekering). It is the responsibility of each resident of the Netherlands to have adequate medical insurance.

More information on Zorgverzekering can be found on the Dutch website zorgverzekering.org

Contractors are welcome to participate in the Blue Lynx collective health insurance through the insurer www.interpolis.nl. This insurance comes with a collective discount. Detailed information and prices are available on request. For more information please contact the Blue Lynx HR department.

Each client follows their own company appraisal procedure, this does vary and you will be informed by Blue Lynx HR department what the procedure is per assignment. Blue Lynx endeavours to keep communication lines short with Contracting Staff and have regular telephone contact and visit contractors on a regular basis.

It is the role of Blue Lynx to take an active part in negotiating contract extensions and salary increases. It very rarely works to the benefit of a contractor if they try and go into negotiations excluding Blue Lynx. When there is no contract extension Blue Lynx will do their utmost to secure a new assignment.

Blue Lynx is your employer.

As a contractor or temporary staff you are seconded to the client who then supervises and manages your work. Blue Lynx is responsible for your employment contract, payroll, leave administration, sick leave administration, pension (where applicable), timesheet administration, contract extensions and negotiations, travel reimbursement(s), deduction of social premiums and taxes. Blue Lynx is your representative at the client for all employment matters.

• Verified ID (passport, id card and or residence permit)
• BSN number
• Health insurance details
• Emergency contact details
• Bank account number
• Employment history overview (when applicable)
• References (when applicable)
• Copies of diploma’s etc (when applicable)
• Certificate of good conduct as part of their security clearance process (when applicable)

The company/organisation where you are seconded to manages and supervises your work. The exception to the rule is when Blue Lynx hires staff under a detacherings-contract. In this case, Blue Lynx manages and supervises the project.

You are obliged to abide by the instructions, rules and regulations of the company/organisation where you are seconded to.

Working hours are stated in your employment contract. You will need to conform to the working hours of the company/organisation where you are seconded to before you start your secondment.

This is a legal record of the hours worked. This is an integral part of the invoice that Blue Lynx submits to its client. Without this timesheet, Blue Lynx is unable to issue an invoice. Furthermore, Blue Lynx processes all payroll in accordance to timesheets. An accurate timesheet results in a correct and timely payroll process.

Blue Lynx administers sick pay deductions, overtime payments, travel costs,  business travel expenses submitted by the last working day of the month, within the next month’s payroll.

Blue Lynx is responsible for the administration of your leave requests (annual leave, special leave, etc).

Unless otherwise agreed – leave can only be taken when the sufficient hours have been accumulated. For your leave entitlement, please refer to your employment contract.

NOTE: Blue Lynx does not have an unpaid leave policy.

Blue Lynx is the first port of call when there is an emergency – so it is essential that we know your whereabouts.

Dutch public holidays are paid in full when they coincide with your normal working days. A part-timer has fixed working days and cannot chop and change to get extra paid bank holidays.

• You are entitled to 16 hours per year of special leave for medical consultation(s) when you are employed full time on a 12-month contract. Otherwise, it is calculated pro-rata
• When leave of absence is necessary during working hours, Blue Lynx shall permit contractors/temporary staff to take special leave, subject to prior request, in the following cases for a period not exceeding the duration applying to any one case:

A. For preliminary application formalities for the Employee’s own wedding – 1 full day
B. On the occasion of the Employee’s wedding – 2 full days
C. When the Employee’s spouse gives birth – 1 full day
D. On the occasion of the wedding of a child, brother, sister, parent or grandparent of the Employee
E. On the 25th, 40th and 50th wedding anniversaries (and subsequently every 5 years) of the Employee or Employee’s parents, grandparents or child
F. On the death of the spouse of the Employee or of a child belonging to the family – Time of death up to and including the day of the funeral
G. On the death of either of the Employee’s parents – 2 full days
H. On the death of one of the Employee’s grandparents, brother, sister, grandchild or child not referred to under F. – 1 full day

Yes, Blue Lynx adheres to the ABU Collective Labour Agreement for Temporary Employees and works in accordance with the system of Phases (Phase A, B, C).  This forms an integral part of a contractor and temporary staff employment contract. Please check this site for a thorough explanation of the Phase system contractors and temporary staff are paid monthly. Payroll occurs at the end of each month.

Payments are made monthly.

There are three exceptions to this rule:

1. When Blue Lynx notices that your timesheet is continuously late, payroll is only released once your timesheet is received.
2. On completion of your first month of employment, you will only be payrolled once Blue Lynx has received a correctly filled in and authorised timesheet. Taking into consideration that timesheets are submitted at the end of the month your payroll will be administered slightly later than all other months.
3. On completion of employment payroll is made after your last timesheet has been received. This is due to rounding off your payroll i.e., accumulated vacation days/hours, overtime, travel passes and business travel expenses, and the deduction of sick days (wachtdagen) etc.

January is the month that all employers issue all employees with a jaaropgave (official annually salary statement). Should you have worked for more than one employer during the previous year you will receive a jaaropgave from each employer.
NOTE: The jaaropgave is only issued once. Make sure you keep your in a safe place.

Click here to request a new password for your Blue Lynx online account.