There has been a strong growth in the temporary workforce over the past decade, which is good for employers requiring flexibility. But before going any further, it’s important to make a distinction between different categories of temporary workers. 

When most people think about temporary workers they are thinking of agency workers. These are employed by the agency rather than the company in which they work and as such, in the short term at least, may be subject to entirely different terms and conditions. 

“There is a popular misconception that these are the downtrodden who have been forced into temporary work, on low pay and poor conditions because they have been unable to find a permanent position,” says Mercury Search & Selection managing director Dani Novick. “While clearly there are some who would prefer a permanent position, we find that many take temporary work as a lifestyle choice, with more freedom and much more variety. 

“Employers usually expect a temp to walk in and be up to speed almost immediately, so the temps we supply have to be highly skilled and competent and therefore will not stand for poor conditions and low pay. Employers want a problem solved and are prepared to pay for it.”

The second category that could be classed as temporary are people on short-term, more commonly known as fixed-term, contracts. These are employed by the organisations they work for and usually have the same conditions as permanent staff; although in some cases slightly better. Their motivations vary from using it as a stop-gap until a permanent position is found to a purposeful career choice where they pick assignments that suit them. In some respects, they are similar to consultants and indeed there is a degree of interchangeability depending on how the individual and employer want to work.

Consultants and freelancers are self-employed and their own ‘business’ charges the employer where they work. Often the choice of whether to work as self-employed or on short-term contract is determined for tax reasons. “Simplistically,” says Novick, “to comply and benefit from the tax laws, the self-employed should be self-directing in their work. However, the rules are complex and people often try to put a particular spin on the interpretation. The vast majority of the consultants and freelancers we deal with relish the variety of work and it is a pure career choice. The lack of security is usually outweighed and indeed factored in to the fees they charge.” 

In addition, due to the nature of their work, a range of their costs may become tax deductible, providing them with an additional financial benefit. Assuming that they don’t break the tax rules!

Heavy users

Businesses across the board may require temps, but some sorts of business tend to be more reliant than others. “Finishing and mailing/fulfilment houses are the classic users of temp staff in the printing industry,” says Harrison Scott Associates joint managing director George Thompson. “One area that has also had a steady increase in the use of temps in the last five years is web-to-print. A consultant, meanwhile, is very much at the high end of the market, charging upwards of £500 per day.”

Some businesses are heavy users of temps. Precision Printing chief executive Gary Peeling says his company hires temporary staff to undertake finishing and fulfilment tasks during the holiday peak season and can hire up to 120 staff for an eight- to 12-week period. 

Temps are generally used to address a mismatch between capacity and demand. Ryedale Group, which has the majority of its business in the horticultural sector, uses agency workers and short-term contractors to heighten the flexibility of its capacity so as to cope with seasonal fluctuations. From time to time, it also turns to consultants to fill in skills or knowledge gaps, or assist with special projects.

“We are based in a rural area so the labour pool is relatively small,” says managing director James Buffoni. “We have used temps when demand is higher than expected, but mainly so that we can grow and shrink to meet the seasonal demands at the lowest possible cost.

“We tend to keep a number of different local employment agencies on hand as the quality and availability of staff supplied can vary day-to-day. We also work with local job centres. There is extremely low unemployment at the moment so we need to keep as many good options as possible. Because we are fairly rural we also try to make the work environment and culture attractive to all staff, whether full-time or temporary, which helps boost our reputation and ideally motivation with the temporary staff.”

Like all top performers, good temps are not easy to come by. The requirement to be up to speed almost immediately with minimal support puts an imperative on identifying people with very specific knowledge and skills. “It’s not just a print finisher, it’s a print finisher with specific knowledge of a particular machine and or product,” says Novick. “It’s a Mac operator with knowledge of producing a certain type of work using specific software. From the employer’s and recruiter’s perspective this is an extra level.” 

With permanent staff you can take someone you think has potential, even if they are not 100% what you need now, and mould them or train them. With temporary staff the focus is absolutely on the here and now and you have to have as close to the perfect candidate as possible. 

These are usually only found through extensive knowledge of the sector – which typically means turning to an agency. But there are exceptions. 

“There is one operations director who stands out for me,” says Thompson. “He has his own database of around 60 temporary workers. He maintains a close relationship: for example, sends each a text on their birthday, emails them an update each month regarding company news.” 

He has also developed a novel line in financial incentives. The money saved by going direct to the temp, and thereby avoiding agency fees, is apportioned as follows: 25% is paid to each worker, to ensure they receive more than they would get from an agency. Another 25% of the savings goes into a ‘pot’ and every three months a raffle is held with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes. 

People are eligible for inclusion into the raffle if they have been available to work as a temp for more than one year, thus creating great incentive for a loyal work force to use when necessary. The remaining 50% of the savings goes towards boosting company profitability. 

Direct Entry Solutions, meanwhile, has spent quite some time working with different agencies but says it is now very happy with one in particular that provides a high calibre of staff who are keen to work and pre-briefed on the business and its requirements. Temporary workers are sourced for its operations departments on either a seasonal, short-term contract, or ‘temp to perm’ basis. The type of temp vacancy advertised tends to be determined by the time of year and job role. 

“We are very flexible with working hours and will often accommodate personal needs or commitments of a worker so that they can work without any stress from clashes with personal commitments,” says chief executive Phil Coleman. “We are fortunate in this respect as we run several shifts and therefore this accommodating approach often leads to happy staff and a very low staff turnover figure. 

“We must ensure temps are vetted correctly and the new equivalent of the CRB checks are applied. This ensures that we have low risk if new staff were to come into contact with e-commerce type goods that can have some value. Together with these checks we work in a fully secure, sustainably built warehouse building that has full CCTV coverage throughout its operation.”

Trained temps

Interestingly, both Coleman and Ryedale’s Buffoni make the point that they put effort into training temporary staff and briefing them about the importance of the accuracy of their work and being part of a supportive and positive team. Good temps can add value to a business – as long as they are equipped with the right skills.

“Do not expect temporary staff to perform without training, this will lead to performance issues,” adds Peeling. “A couple of days’ training and orientation will prove a worthwhile investment, even for lower skilled roles.”

Given that temps are often brought in to meet an immediate need, they will ideally be equipped to hit the ground running. That’s rather different to hiring a permanent member of staff with potential to be developed and moulded over a long period of time. 

However, when a gap management problem or other staffing issue emerges, the ability to call on a suitably qualified temp at short notice can be a major plus. Although it is seldom a cut-price option.

“We once had a temp on site to start a night shift less than two hours after the client called with the need,” recalls Novick. “You can’t get that kind of response, flexibility, capability and reliability on the cheap.” 

Best practice

Vetting, briefing and other responsibilities 

Ensure temporary workers have been correctly vetted. Have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks been carried out? DBS was previously known as CRB.

Brief temporary workers on the importance of accuracy.

If a printer has a longstanding relationship with a recruitment company, they should use the agency to complete first-tier training and then the firm will complete second-tier training.

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide information such as health and safety regulations, and fire safety procedures, specific to that company and its site. 

Beyond that, any reasonable and indeed sensible employer should make an assessment of competence and provide clear instructions and guidance on what is expected in terms of both performance and quality.

If you want your temps to hit the ground running – and why hire them if you don’t have a pressing need? – make sure you are crystal clear about what the job involves and what skills and qualifications you are looking for.

Give every temp a proper welcome into your company. Make them feel valued and you’ll get the best out of them.

Contract types

Short- or fixed-term contracts last for a certain length of time, ending when a specific task has been completed or event has taken place. Fixed-term employees must receive the same treatment as permanent full-time staff, and employers manage payroll and tax for that employee. There is a four-year limit on renewing fixed-term contracts – at this point the employee will automatically become a full-time member of staff unless the employer can prove it has a good business reason for this not to happen.

In terms of tax, unless the temporary worker is only joining the company for less than one week, it is mandatory that they bring a P45 from their previous employer, as they are accountable for such contributions just like any other employee. 

When engaging agency staff or consultants/freelancers the company will simply pay an invoice; the agency will run payroll and consultants/freelancers will manage their own pay and tax affairs. But remember, you are still responsible for their health and safety.

Freelancers and consultants can be more problematic owing to IR35 regulations covering the employment status of individuals. Most recently in the media we have seen TV presenters and executives using ‘personal service companies’ to try to reduce tax and National Insurance costs. Employers may wish to consider taking specialist advice on this to ensure they do not incur any liability for their consultants. 

If you are employing a young person part-time, for example a family member, you can do so if they are 13 or over, but you must conduct a risk assessment and adhere to special rules governing how long they can work. 

Agency workers regulations

The Agency Workers Regulations, which came into force on 1 October 2011, entitle agency workers to the same basic working and employment conditions as comparable employees – once they have completed a 12-week qualifying period in the same job.

From day one, employers must make sure agency workers have access to company facilities such as the staff canteen, childcare, break rooms, transport services, and even the car park. 

However, this right of access means a right to be treated no less favourably, so in fact does not guarantee an absolute right of access. Temporary workers will be subject to the same conditions as directly employed staff, for example being required to join a waiting list for childcare places or entitled to a parking space on a first-come, first-served basis.

Another area employers may not consider is the right to equal access to employment opportunities, which must also be available from day one. This means that temporary workers should have the same right to seek permanent employment within the company as full-timers. In practice, this means that they must be notified of any vacancies arising and not prevented from applying and being considered for those vacancies by virtue of being a temporary/agency worker. There is the potential for some latitude on this where an employer seeks to redeploy permanent staff to avoid redundancies. 

You should provide your temp agency with your up-to-date terms and conditions so that they can make sure an agency worker is treated equally.

After completion of the 12-week qualifying period, pregnant agency workers are allowed to have paid time off to attend antenatal appointments during an assignment.

The 12-week period begins again if a worker moves to a substantially different role but you must bear in mind that the regulations contain anti-avoidance provisions designed to prevent employers making deployment decisions with a view to blocking workers from acquiring the 12-week qualifying period right.

Taking things further 

Some temps have no desire to move into full-time positons, but others are very interested in such opportunities. For those in the latter category, employers looking to fill a full-time role can assess the performance of workers in a ‘try before you buy’ scenario. Many print businesses have converted suitable temps into full-timers.

If there is a strong possibility that the temporary role could eventually transition into a permanent one, look for temps that are a good fit for your company values and culture. It could save you a lot of hassle in training and recruiting time if you can turn a talented temp who knows how to do the job into a full time member of the team.

Conduct an exit interview when a temp leaves. This can be an excellent way to get a reasonably objective view of your workplace. It may generate some useful suggestions on how things, large or small, might be improved.