Agency Workers: What your Recruitment Agency must know

Historically the relationship between the Hirer and the supplier has been akin to master and slave with just the minimum of information flow between the parties with the slave been very grateful for the crumbs of business that fell from the Master table.

However, whether either party wants it to happen it is going to change and change rapidly so all parties need to use the next few months to plan there approach to the market place.  

It is true to say that without the guidance notes absolute advice can not be given but it is still better to be doing something rather than nothing so you should expect your recruitment agencies to be approaching Hirer's in the not to distant future. If they don't get in touch by the end of September which is one year before implementation then lights should begin to flash.

So what will the agencies want:

They will want to know more about your business than previously.

They will want to know about different roles within your business where you use temporary labour.

They will be asking for relevant job descriptions.

They will be obliged to ask the system you have in place to monitor the new regulations.

To discuss "substantive" differences in the roles.

They will want a copy of your direct contract of employment and to understand the rates on the items below

• Holiday pay (+ time off in lieu for public and bank holidays)
• Overtime pay
• Shift Allowances
• Unsocial hours premiums
• Any additional payments received by permanent staff that are job related
• Production related bonuses ( but excludes loyalty/profit share type arrangements)
• Any vouchers such as transport or food related.

Historically most Hirers would have said that it is "none of your business" followed by a few choice epithets but now it has to be the recruitment agencies business.

But the reciprocal is also true as the hirer will need to know similar information about how the Recruitment Agency deals with its employees.

All this takes time, costs money and will result in higher costs which is ironic given the political stance of the new Coalition and we can only hope that some common sense will emerge in the guidance notes.