Employment Agencies......

Admin Location : East Midlands Spotter Watch Member : Yes

Who here has to rely on work via employment agencies or use employment agencies for temp staff?

After some cave dwelling nitwitts made me redundant back in September 2001, I have been using employment agencies to gain experience in various aspects of the IT, by working via agencies in Telecoms, Local Government, Health etc.

I've fallen foul a few times by having agencies charge me out at £400 - £500 a day, but only pay me £200 thus having my contracts end alot sooner than anticipated, because there is no money left in the budget to see out my contract.

At present I work for an IT agency that is part of a larger group of other IT agencies, and there is alot of rivalry.

For this current contract I am on a daily rate based on 37.5 hour week, and with Stacey having to attend obstetric appointments, I have been having half days, and have been putting these as such on my timesheet. However the agency that I am with, is insisting that I still put down whole days, so therefore the client gets charged for a full 5 day week because their system has me down as daily rate and can only accept whole numbers on their payroll system.

I've had a big set too with the agency account manager about this, because I know that the client would disapprove if I changed lasts weeks 4 days 1 hour in to 5 days.

I'd like to know what the thoughts would be on those who are agency staff & use agency staff.

Admin Location : Abu Dhabi

I only ever used an agency once, when i did some HGV driving for a company near Bradford a few years back, lasted a week as they wanted me to break the rules as well.

Basically your restricted by the amount of hours you can drive by law, yet the agency insisted i put down hours outside those I was on duty. Great for them as they cream in the extra money, but if the Taco's/records got checked I would have got a huge fine. They wernt happy that I wouldnt play ball, and put me under extreme pressure to lie with the threat of no further work, and that they would never give me a good reference, and pass my details onto other agencies that I was untrustworthy!!!!

They seem to be a law unto themselves, and I told em to shove it!

Dunk

Subject: Re: Employment Agencies...... 2009-06-04, 10:05

I operate from the other side, employing contract staff through agencies. I don't know if this is going to affect you but we've moved away from paying temps through the agency because Mr Darling has now slapped VAT on the labour cost as well as the agency management fee. The temp now submits timesheet to us and we pay them directly.

The benefit of this is that we know exactly how much is going to the temp , the agency is just getting a fixed fee for find the temp and would get round the problem you are describing.

Subject: Re: Employment Agencies...... 2009-06-04, 10:49

Hi Lee.

i'm on the other side of the fence as well.

i refuse to use an agency nowaday's.

i will always go direct to contractors i know and trust and pay an hourly rate and let the contractor be flexible with his hours and when he works them.

had contractors work 40 hours by thursday night and have friday off many times.

i always give them agreed deliverables to a time scale and expect them to put in the effort required to achieve deadlines, which tend to be very fixed in motorsport, such as race dates.

my advice would be too quietly aproach your client and have a word about the situation, if you are doing a good job he will be keen to keep you on and will be helpfull with the situation i'm sure.

it would be good to have the client on your side if it turns messy with the agency as the agency has more to lose than you if the client gets pee'd off.

their are too many agencies out there as every agency seems to have half a dozen staff who leave to set up their own agency taking their contacts with them and so on.

The threat of being blacked by agency shouldn't worry you if you can get a good ref out of the client as all agencies are greedy and will generally give you a go if they can make money out of you.

hope this helps

Geoff