Part of the how to hire cluster in the employment knowledge graph — connected to occupations, documents, hiring guides, career guides, country guides and employment law.
Scope the role first
Agency workers are supplied by a staffing agency to cover temporary needs — peaks, absence cover, projects or fluctuating demand — usually under an assignment rather than direct employment with you. Decide whether the need is genuinely temporary or actually a permanent role.
Define the assignment clearly: the tasks, duration, hours, site and the skills required. Understand the split of responsibilities between you as the hirer and the agency as employer, and the obligations you hold towards agency workers in your jurisdiction.
Where to find candidates
- Established staffing and recruitment agencies in the relevant sector.
- Workforce-matching platforms that connect you with vetted suppliers.
- Specialist agencies for technical or licensed roles.
- Master or neutral vendor arrangements for higher volumes.
- Referrals from peers on reliable agency partners.
- Local agencies for site-based and short-notice cover.
How to screen and shortlist
- Choose agencies with a clear track record and proper vetting.
- Confirm how the agency checks right to work and any certifications.
- Agree the skills, experience and standards for the assignment.
- Clarify the terms, notice and the split of responsibilities.
- Review candidate profiles the agency supplies against the brief.
- Confirm induction and safety arrangements for on-site workers.
How to interview
- For longer assignments, meet candidates before they start where appropriate.
- Confirm the skills and certifications the role requires.
- Set clear expectations on tasks, hours, conduct and standards.
- Brief the worker on the site, team and safety rules.
- Agree how performance issues will be raised with the agency.
- Keep selection fair and non-discriminatory throughout.
Documents, checks and onboarding
- A clear assignment brief covering tasks, duration and standards.
- Terms of business with the agency setting out responsibilities.
- Confirmation that right-to-work and certification checks are done.
- A site induction and safety briefing for each worker.
- Records of hours and any agreed reviews.
- Clear arrangements for managing conduct and ending assignments.
Common hiring mistakes
- Using agency labour for what is really a permanent role.
- Assuming all checks are covered without confirming with the agency.
- Leaving the split of responsibilities between hirer and agency unclear.
- Skipping a proper site induction and safety briefing.
- Overlooking your obligations to agency workers in your jurisdiction.
- Treating agency workers unfairly compared with directly employed staff.
Export, edit and share documents
The documents, policies and templates this involves can be exported, edited, signed, stored and shared as PDFs with the HELPERG PDF Editor.
Workforce communication tools
Employers, agencies and recruiters often need candidate screening calls, international candidate calls, recruitment coordination and team collaboration. TwinPhone provides browser calling, virtual numbers and international business communication workflows.
Measuring recruitment marketing and traffic?
Related tools from the HELPERG ecosystem that may help with this:
- WebmasterID — Privacy-first website analytics for recruitment marketing — understand traffic sources, visitor behaviour and conversion performance on your employer or careers site.
Need hiring support?
Tell us about your workforce needs. We can help connect you with recruitment and staffing partners that match your hiring requirements — HR helper group is a matching platform, not a recruitment agency, and makes no placement guarantees.
Free, printable HR & employment resources
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