Temporary Workers

Growing your workforce to meet your demand

There will inevitably be times when a small business needs to temporarily increase the size of its workforce, perhaps to meet a sudden or seasonal increase in business or to work on a specific and time constrained project. One way to meet this demand for extra labour is to take on temporary workers who can provide expertise and experience at short notice, either through an employment agency or direct to the employee.

While the legal position of temporary workers is not exactly the same as that of permanent ones, increasingly there are a number of important legal implications of employing temporary staff that need to be considered. Sick pay and holiday entitlement are areas where temporary workers are gaining more rights so it is important that all businesses know their legal obligations.

A good place to start for more information on employing temporary and agency workers is the website of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which can be found here.  http://www.berr.gov.uk/employment/employment-agencies/consultation-2002/page30034.html