Temporary agency workers offer great flexibility as an additional labour resource. They can fill in staffing gaps, often at very short notice, and can be engaged for anything from a few hours to weeks or months at a time.
Under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, on completing a qualifying period with a hirer, agency workers qualify for the same basic employment conditions that they would have had if directly recruited.
If an employer wishes to take on an agency worker as a permanent member of staff, it may have to pay a “transfer fee” (sometimes known as a “temp to perm” fee) to the agency supplying the worker.