More than half of employers are facing an increased administrative burden since the introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR).Fears that the Regulations would have a negative impact on the use of temporary workers seem unfounded. Despite the higher workload, only one-third of organisations have altered their use of agencies, according to findings from XpertHR.
The research also showed that 51 per cent of companies believe that the cost of using temporary staff means that they are less likely to hire them in future. However, more than 75 per cent disagreed with the statement: “The AWR have had a detrimental impact on my organisation’s resourcing capability.”
The AWR gives agency workers the same employment rights as permanent employees once they have completed a 12-week qualifying period. This includes elements such as pay, holiday entitlement and rest breaks. They are also eligible for protections under the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Although there have been concerns about the Regulations, the report highlighted that 64 per cent of employers already provide the same working conditions to temporary staff from the first day of the assignment. This is regardless of the qualifying period.
