Companies do not need to let agency staff go because of the AWR

Recent reports in the press suggest one in three employers are 'to sack agency workers' before the Agency Workers Regulations 12-week qualifying period. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you manage your temporary agency workers correctly.

de Poel’s Legal Director, Joe Tully explains: “With the right know-how and technologies in place there should be no need for companies to let temporary agency workers go after 11-weeks. In many cases the constant recruitment and training costs could end up proving more than actually paying equivalent rates. Companies must also be aware of the anti-avoidance measures in place with regards to re-hiring these workers.”

Though the regulations are inevitably going to cost every business that uses temporary agency workers, using a service provider, such as de Poel, and an electronic system to manage all temporary staff will significantly reduce the administrative burden of the regulations.

e-tips®, de Poel’s electronic invoice processing system, is rolling out a raft of new features to make it as easy as possible for companies and their agencies to comply with the regulations. All temporary agency workers are now registered by a unique identifier - their NI or passport number - and a ‘traffic light system’ instantly tells users how close a worker is to completing the 12-week qualifying period.

de Poel client Viridor are confident about the AWR. Lesley Davidson, Head of Human Resources, says: “We are well underway in implementing the changes needed to comply with the forthcoming Agency Workers Regulations.

“We welcome the proposed changes as we recognise the key role of agency workers in our industry as they provide a flexible and timely resource to ensure high levels of compliance and productivity so we can provide a continual and reliable service for our customers.”