In less than 24 days time, the Temporary Agency Regulations (Regulations) come into force.
If reports in the national press this week are correct, the Government is yet again wavering over whether the legislation should be implemented in its current form. This time though, the deadline is so tight that commentators are speculating whether this is merely ‘grandstanding’ on the part of the Government.
But this debate is of little use to employers and HR directors who need to decide what action (if any) to take now before the Regulations bite. The options are limited.
At the one extreme, there is the Asda approach – embrace the spirit of the legislation by agreeing an equal pay deal with Unite both for its temps and those of its suppliers, in an arrangement that is estimated to cost it around £2.4 million. At the other, there is the Centrica approach, reported this week, of cutting temp numbers from 1300 to 670, after a review revealed that the legislation would cost it approximately £2 million.
So what does 1 October mean to you? We at Paul Hastings, in conjunction with HRZone, would like to know what you think in this two-minute survey:
- Does your organisation use temps supplied by an agency? Yes/No
- How long is the average assignment in terms of weeks? Months/Weeks/ Don’t Know
- Do you believe your organisation is prepared for the implementation of the Regulations? Yes/No
- The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills estimated in its January 2010 Impact Assessment that the annual cost per organisation would be £2,493 for a small organisation, £18,650 for a medium organisation and £73,188 for a large organisation. Do you agree with these estimates? Yes/No
- Have you costed the impact of the Regulations on your organisation? Yes/No
- If so, what is your estimated annual increase in cost? £/Don’t know
- Do you think the Regulations will increase the administrative burden on your organisation? Yes/No
- Do you believe the Regulations will result in less employment status claims? Yes/No
- Will the Regulations mean your organisation is less likely to use temps supplied by an agency? Yes/No
Please email your responses to suzanne.horne@paulhastings.com and we will report back. Also please note that all responses will be kept anonymous unless you give your express permission otherwise.
Suzanne Horne is a partner at the employment law department of legal firm, Paul Hastings.
We really welcome any and all contributions from the community, so please feel free to share your views and opinions with us, your colleagues and peers via our blogs section.
