The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR)

Are you an agency worker? 

By Mark Begley, Associate Director, Head of Creative & Digital for Creative & Design jobs and Digital jobs

AWR legislation entitles you to the same basic working and employment conditions as staff recruited directly by the hirer to do the same role, with some rights taking affect on Day 1 and the full rights doing so after 12 weeks. Randstad research earlier this year found that the majority of agency workers were unsure about AWR: so are you now?

What are the Agency Workers Regulations?
The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) first surfaced back in 2008, as a result of an EU Directive, and is being implemented in the UK on 1 October 2011.

The purpose of the Regulations is to give greater protection to agency workers by ensuring that they benefit from the same basic working and employment conditions as if they had been employed directly by the hirer. The core concept is to ensure equal treatment and parity of pay.
 
Essentially after a 12-week qualifying period you will be entitled to the same pay, overtime, holidays, and specific bonuses as an employee doing the same or equivalent role. This does not extend to benefits and loyalty rewards.
 
In the vast majority of cases in our sector pay will already equal or exceed that of a comparative in-house role so holiday will be the most common area of adjustment.

What we're doing to help you...
As part of the Randstad group, Major Players contributed to the government's process of writing the accompanying Guidelines for the Regulations.

We have also developed guides to help you fully understand the impact of this legislation and your entitlements:

Shifting Sands report
Offering you a detailed insight into the AWR and the impact it will have upon both employers and contractors along with an analysis of current market trends and changes in the workplace.
(click here to request a copy)

Candidate FAQ guides
Get answers to your burning questions. (click here)

Parity inclusions & exclusions
Make sure you're fully informed of what you're entitled to with our simple guide. (click here)

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