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POLICY FOR USE OF AGENCY TEMP WORKERS
Introduction
The Council recognises that the use of non-permanent workers can enable the smooth running of Council Services by providing an element of flexibility within the workforce. It is, however, Council policy to ensure non-permanent workers are used within corporate frameworks, which reflect the Council's values and at those times when service delivery would be adversely affected without the additional cover and resource they can provide.
AGENCY TEMP WORKERS
Definition
For the purpose of this document the term 'agency temp worker' relates to those people who are provided by and in some instances employed by a temporary staffing agency to work on a temporary basis for the Council.
RESOURCE CENTRE
Definition
For the purpose of this document the term 'Resource Centre ' relates to the office contracted by Haringey Council to manage the service delivering the Council's temporary staff requirements. The Resource Centre is the link between the recruiting managers and the approved agencies and will deal with all agency enquiries and vacancies. The Resource Centre is known as the Haringey Temp Resource Centre and is run by Hays Resource Management.
MANAGERS' RESPONSIBILITY
It is the responsibility of managers to:
work within corporate frameworks
ensure all agency requirements are correctly entered on Workflow (the Resource Centre ordering system)
ensure that any non-permanent worker is provided with suitable induction
provide information of the use of non-permanent workers as required for monitoring purposes
keep the use of non-permanent workers under regular review
ensure that the maximum duration of any booking is three months
to ensure that any required qualifications and registrations e.g. CRB and GSCC registration are brought by the non-permanent worker on their first day of work and that the supervising officer verifies it.
to ensure that where applicable the non-permanent worker signs a Confidentiality, Use of Systems and Professional Undertakings Form (found in the Personnel forms section of Harinet), a copy of which is held by the recruiting or supervising manager.
it is also good practice to check the individual's right to work before they start and confirm any references verbally.
Agency Temp Worker's Responsibility
It is the Agency Temp Worker's responsibility to:
ensure that all of their qualifications and registrations are up to date and in line with the requirements of the JD. That they are provided on the first day of work for verification by the manager and that the agency temp worker informs any registering body of their change in workplace as required e.g Qualified Social Workers must inform the GSCC if they move to a new workplace.
Only authorised officers may place orders for agency workers.
The budget holder is responsible for ensuring that sufficient funds are available to cover expenditure and that accurate records on use and payment are maintained.
USE OF AGENCY TEMP WORKERS
All agency requirements are to be fed through the Resource Centre.
Agency temp workers should only be used in circumstances where:
the need for the work is expected to be temporary e.g. meeting peak workloads, seasonal requirements, where the duration of the work is limited by finance available or where there is a particular skills gap; or
the need for a particular individual to do the job is temporary e.g. covering for sickness, maternity, acting up, secondment etc or while a vacancy is being filled; and
there is no possibility of
covering the workload using existing employees
appointing a redeployee
arranging for an existing employee to 'act up'
In such cases where the agency temp worker is required to temporarily fill a vacant permanent post, authorisation is required by an Authoriser/Approver - Workflow will automatically seek this authorisation when such orders are placed. Reports of these instances will be monitored by Personnel and the business case rationale field should be completed detailing what recruitment activity is underway.
BOOKING AN AGENCY TEMP WORKER
All agency requirements are to be fed through the Resource Centre.
Managers are responsible for entering the correct vacancy requirements into Workflow. The maximum duration of a booking is three months.
The vacancy is automatically sent to the Resource Centre who in turn contacts the Approved agencies on the Manager's behalf.
In line with Best Value principles of quality and competitive prices, the Resource Centre has entered into a number of fixed term contracts with three tiers of agencies. The tiers consist of Primary Vendors, 2nd Tier and 3rd Tier.
The Resource Centre will offer 50% of all vacancies to the Primary Vendors in their areas of expertise. There is a Primary Vendor for the following areas: Care, General, Schools and Professional.
The Resource Centre will offer the remaining 50% competitively to the Second Tier of agencies. The agencies are scored against a balanced scorecard measuring efficiency, quality, cost and effectiveness.
In the event that neither the Prime Vendor nor the Second Tier can provide the appropriate resource then the Resource Centre will pass the requirement to the 3rd Tier. Only approved agencies will supply workers.
Exceptions
Extending duration of booking
If an Agency temp worker is required for longer than the approved 3 months, then the Manager can re-order via the Resource Centre. The extension can be up to an additional 3 months and must be authorised by the approving officer before the worker can continue.
The Manager is required to complete the business case rationale field on the order page explaining the reason for the extension and any recruitment activity that is underway.
The Head of Personnel will monitor such extensions through reports provided by Resource Centre
Agency temp workers are not able to be extended past 11 months, in exceptional circumstances an Assistant Director can approve such extensions.
Re-booking same Agency temp worker
If a named individual is required, then the Manager should complete the business case rationale on the order page to explain why the temp is still required.
The rationale should also clearly detail why a different individual could not be used
The business case must be authorised by the approving officer before the worker can be contacted by the Resource Centre
The Head of Personnel will monitor such re-bookings through reports provided by Resource Centre with regards to ensuring the Council's equal opportunities policy is adhered to
Ringfenced Roles
If the Resource Centre are unable to fill your vacancy, the issue must be escalated via the escalation process available on Harinet. If the escalation process is exhausted and the Resource Centre are still unable to fill the role then HR will sign off the hiring manager approaching agencies outside the supply chain contracted to the Resource Centre. The consultant / self-employed worker monitoring on Harinet form must be completed for every non-employed via the Resource Centre and the Consultant policy and procurement regulations followed with regards to sign off for spend and length of service.
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Checks (for relevant posts only)
Workflow records mandatory CRB requirements against relevant post titles in line with Council's CRB policy
The Resource Centre is responsible for ensuring the Agency temp worker brings their CRB to their initial shift
The Manager is responsible for checking the CRB at the start of the initial shift. The standard CRB authorisation process and form must be used if any data is disclosed. Please see attached CRB authorisation form, Appendix A1
The Manager is responsible for liaising with Personnel department with regards to advice on acceptability of CRBs when necessary
The Manager must not make copies of a CRB
Response Times
The Resource Centre will respond to the Manager placing the vacancy within the following time scales with named workers or CVs when requested.
Assignment Start Date |
CV Response Time |
Shortlist by Council (a further:) |
Same day
|
1 hour |
2 hours |
Next business day
|
4 hours |
2 hours |
1-2 business days
|
4 hours |
4 hours |
3-6 business days
|
1 working day |
1 working day |
7+ business days
|
2 working days |
2 working days |
Cancellations
The Manager is responsible for ensuring that the Resource Centre is informed of any cancellation of a booking no less than 90 minutes before the assignment is due to begin. This must be via telephone or email to enable the Resource Centre to inform the appropriate agency immediately.
Day to Day Operational Issues
The Manager is to inform the Resource Centre Account Manager of any day to day operational issues. Escalations should be directed to the Resource Centre Account Director and thereafter to the Contract Manager (within Personnel) each within 1 business day. If necessary the Contract Manager will escalate further to the Head of Personnel
Induction and Performance Management
Managers using agency workers are responsible for the performance of service delivery by the agency workers including an appropriate level of induction. As a minimum, all agency workers must be taken through the induction checklist as set out in the attached Induction Checklist, Appendix A2
Where the agency worker does not perform to the required standard, the manager should terminate the individual with immediate effect and inform the Resource Centre immediately.
Monitoring
The Council's Personnel and Finance Services alongside the Resource Centre will monitor the use of agency workers in line with principles established for financial monitoring.
There is a dedicated Contract Manager within Personnel who will monitor the Resource Centre against the agreed contract.
Authorised use
A unique `Log-In ID' must be obtained from the Resource Centre before a Manager or delegated officer is able to order an Agency temp worker.
New User requests should be made by email or telephone direct to the Resource Centre.
The Resource Centre will require details of the Manager's working location, cost code and Budget Holder / Approver.
The Manager who orders the temp will receive the e-timesheets. The Manager can nominate up to 4 further delegates who can authorise the e-timesheets by contacting the Resource Centre, e.g. when on annual leave.
Mileage Claims and Expenses:
Mileage claims and expenses cannot be invoiced through timesheets. Therefore if your agency worker is eligible to claim, payments must be made via petty cash.
There is a limit to the amount of mileage and expenditure claims that an agency worker can claim in one month due to tax reasons. Please contact finance to find out what this limit is. Do not authorise payment over this limit.
In addition please ensure that if your temp is claiming mileage and driving as part of their role that they have the requisite business insurance.
Appendix A2
AGENCY WORKER INDUCTION CHECKLIST
TO BE CARRIED OUT BY LINE MANAGER / SUPERVISOR
Please retain a copy of the checklist form for future monitoring.
Name: _____________________________
Role: _____________________________
Supervisor/ Line Mgr: _____________________________
Dept: _____________________________
Tel EXT: _____________________________
|
BASIC
EMERGENCY PROCEDURE
FIRST AID PROVISION
RISK ASSESSMENT
|
SIGNED BY AGENCY WORKER: ____________________________
SIGNED BY LINE MANAGER: _____________________________
DATE: _____________________________