On 13 January 2012, REC issued a news piece entitled "AWR latest – Addressing misconceptions and driving the client agenda remain key priorities". The article focused on the continuing need to raise awareness of AWR implications to employers, from legal issues right down to addressing those who believe AWR negates the need for temporary staff, concluding that the benefits of a flexible workforce still far outweigh the costs.
Please see below for the article in full, or click here to be redirected to the piece on the REC news page.
AWR latest – Addressing misconceptions and driving the client agenda remain key priorities
Released on 13 January 2012 by REC Press
It is over 100 days since the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) came into force. Providing ongoing support to members and monitoring the impact will be key priorities for the REC in 2012. The latest feedback from recruiters confirms that helping employers understand and approach the regulations remains a major priority.
Although overall awareness has increased, a number of employers still have limited understanding of what the regulations mean in practice. This underlines the need to continue raising awareness. A number of agencies have confirmed that discussions with other clients have focused more on the commercial rather than legal implications which reinforces the need to have robust contracts in place.
One major challenge is the perception amongst some employers that the AWR negates the value of using agency staff, an assumption the REC continues to counter through ongoing dialogue with employers and business organisations.
Tom Hadley, REC Director of Policy and Professional Services says:
“The response from some client organisations – luckily, a small minority – is that ‘with AWR now in place, why should we still use temporary staff’? The question in most sectors should actually be ‘with AWR in place, is there any reason why we shouldn’t be using temporary staff’?
"The Regulations have created significant administration and implementation challenges for agencies. However, they do not fundamentally impact on the benefits that flexible staffing provides. Even in sectors where there is a direct impact on costs for end-users, this is a cost worth bearing if it ensures that the right staff are in place at the right time..
"Over the last 18 months, we have spoken to over 2000 employers at client events and HR seminars , dealing with significant misconceptions about the regulations . These have been driven by a general perception that the impact will be dramatic in all sectors but after employers look at the detail of the regulations , many of these fears have often proved unfounded.
“However, employer perceptions can become reality which is why we need to remain on the front foot in actively promoting the benefits of flexible staffing though the ongoing client agenda as well as through robust data and the work of the forthcoming Flexible Work Commission."
The latest AWR Monitor will be made available to REC members over the coming week. For more information on this go to: http://www.rec.uk.com/regions-sectors/sectors/awr/awrmonitor
