Recruitment Homepage LibraryIs your flexibility under threat?

It has been clearly established that flexibility in the labour force is a critical factor in competitiveness in the global economy. Our own industrial and commercial growth and that of the US through the nineties demonstrates the importance of being flexible enough to react quickly to changes in markets and economies. Many large economies, burdened with overly structured labour regimes, have failed to respond adequately and have suffered – jobs have been lost.

A recognised key element of that flexibility here in the UK is the use of contract staff at all levels, from operatives right across to M.D.’s. The acceptance and use of contract staff confers flexibility and choice on companies and individuals alike. The prevalence of contracting is testimony to that. Over recent years however, managing the flexible element of our personnel resource has become more complex. New national and EU legislation and directives have impacted on the utilisation of contract staff. The move to protect contract workers is to be welcomed. Regulations such as The Working Time Directive and Fixed Term Contract Directive for example, all add complexity to availing of and managing contract staff, as does IR35. Just how familiar are you with the detail?

The regulations we have seen to date could, in theory, pale into insignificance when compared with the ramifications of The Agency Workers Directive, currently being hatched by the EU. Broadly the Directive as currently drafted seeks to put agency temporary workers on an equal footing with their directly hired colleagues when it comes to pay and conditions. The equal footing will be determined by setting the pay and conditions of the contract staff member with those of a “comparator” – ultimately a permanent employee in the same role. The very comparison may well be flawed. In practical terms, this could be impossible to work and at the very least a nightmare to administer. Some form of compromise directive is likely to see the light of day in 2003. The CBI and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation are lobbying for appropriate amendments to the Directive. We simply seek to retain the flexibility which serves us well.

So how do you ensure that your current and future practices in utilising contract staff are in compliance with the plethora of rules and regulations? Many, even large responsible companies, have missed some of these new regulations, where they believed they were not relevant to their own operations. If you are engaging a firm of engineers to undertake a project on your behalf, you almost take it for granted that they are fully conversant with all relevant health & safety issues. If you are using contract staff, perhaps you assume your HR or Procurement Departments are fully conversant with all relevant issues. Are they?

The answer of course lies in knowing that your supplier, just like the engineering firm, is really up to scratch. So you are looking for a technical staffing company that has longevity, relevant technical experience, industry knowledge, substance, proper processes and a team of people who specialise in compliance. Parc has all of that and more. In the past Parc has worked closely with many of its clients to ensure a smooth transition and compliance on the introduction of many of these new regulations.

Nuparc is a leading international supplier of specialist personnel solutions to the Engineering & Technology, Telecommunications and Aviation industries worldwide. In business since 1975 and with in excess of 1,500 contract staff on assignment, Parc has unrivalled experience in providing highly skilled technical staff and management to a variety of industries. From its offices in Glasgow, London, Havant, Dublin and Shannon, Nuparc serves the Oil & Gas, Marine, Pharmaceutical, Defence, Aerospace, Construction, Telecommunications, Rail and Electronics sectors throughout the UK and Ireland. Parc also offers a Resource Management (RM) solution which provides an independent and transparent service that manages all aspects of the sourcing, hiring and administration of candidates and temporary staff. RM can deliver reduced hiring costs, improved vacancy fill rates, better candidate quality match, reduced candidate selection cycle time, improved retention rates, contractual compliance and reduced management input to the recruitment process.

In short, Nuparc can deliver a first class staffing service and can guide you through the maze of current and future regulations with which we must all comply. We would be happy to present to you on the topic of compliance in the use of contract staff. To explore how Nuparc might benefit your organisation, why not call Ian Thomson on (0141) 331 2385.
www.parcengineering.com

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