Part of the staffing & recruitment agency hub — an educational cluster covering how agencies work, the placement models and how employers and candidates work with them. For decision-style reading, see the staffing & hiring comparisons.
This guide walks through the staffing process step by step so employers and workers know what to expect at each stage. It is educational and neutral, with no fee figures, rankings or provider recommendations.
Who this page is for
- Employers using a staffing agency for the first time
- Operations and site managers who supervise agency workers
- HR teams setting up an agency engagement
- Workers who want to understand the arrangement they are entering
Core concept
The defining feature of most temporary staffing is the split between employer of record and place of work. The agency handles the employment relationship and payroll administration; the client directs the day-to-day work. The client pays the agency for hours worked rather than running its own payroll for the person.
This structure is what makes staffing flexible. Because the agency carries the administration and holds a pool of available people, a client can scale a workforce up or down without the lead time and overhead of direct hiring for every role.
Understanding each step — and who is responsible at each one — helps both sides set fair expectations and avoid the friction that comes from unclear ownership of supervision, equipment and safety.
How it works
- Intake: the client describes the role, skills, location, schedule and expected duration
- Sourcing: the agency searches its pool and may advertise to attract more candidates
- Screening: candidates are interviewed and checked according to the agency’s process
- Placement: a suitable worker starts the assignment under the client’s direction
- Payroll: the agency records hours, pays the worker and invoices the client
- Conversion: if it goes well, the parties may agree a route to a permanent role
Plan the hire before you source with the recruitment planning checklist, and keep screening consistent using the candidate screening checklist.
Key considerations
- Who supervises the worker and who provides equipment and training on site
- How timesheets are approved and how quickly issues are raised
- What screening and checks the agency performs before placement
- How replacements are handled if an assignment is not working
- How a temp-to-permanent conversion is structured if you want that option
Advantages
- Fast access to workers for urgent, seasonal or variable demand
- Less internal administration for short-term hires
- A flexible buffer for peaks, projects and absence cover
- A practical way to assess someone before a permanent decision
- Specialist agencies that understand specific roles and sectors
Trade-offs
- A markup or fee is built into the hourly cost
- Supervision and induction still demand client time
- Workers need time to learn your systems and standards
- Communication can pass through the agency
- Less suited to building a stable, long-tenured team
Common mistakes
- Giving a thin brief and expecting a perfect match
- Leaving supervision and safety responsibilities unclear
- Skipping a proper induction because the worker is "temporary"
- Not agreeing replacement and escalation routes in advance
- Using temporary staffing indefinitely for a permanent need
Practical checklist
- Write a clear role brief before intake
- Confirm screening, checks and references the agency provides
- Agree supervision, equipment and induction responsibilities
- Set timesheet approval and escalation routines
- Define how replacements and performance issues are handled
- Document the temp-to-permanent conversion path up front
For interviews, draw on the interview question bank and the hiring scorecard guide; to plan the wider workforce, see the workforce planning guide.
Free, printable hiring resources
Plan, interview and onboard consistently — whether you hire directly or through an agency. No signup, no gating.