With the Olympics fast approaching and many companies looking to hire temporary staff to cope with the increase in trade, a warning has been issued that ignorance of certain recruitment legislations might put the company at risk. The warning encouraged those responsible for hiring within a company to ensure that they are fully up to speed with what is required of them.
Speaking about the potential problem, one expert from a leading recruitment firm said, “With just over 100 days until the Olympics, employees are naturally looking to boost their teams with temporary labour to cope with what’s set to be a bumper summer for the UK. However, unwitting employers are putting themselves at risk of tribunal claims, negative PR, and penalties for non-compliance with regulations, in particular the new Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) that came in to force in October.”
The new Agency Worker Regulations afford temporary workers the same rights as permanent staff after they have been employed with a company for 12 weeks as long as they have remained within the same role. In some cases, they might also be eligible for increased employment benefits from the moment they start work. The regulations cover every aspect of employment, from rest periods to pay, night work to annual leave as well as the extra rights that have been afforded to temporary workers who might be pregnant.
Firms should be aware that failure to comply with the new regulations could result in fines being applied.
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