Firms unprepared for Agency Worker Regulation reforms

An alarming number of businesses across the UK are still unprepared for upcoming changes to the country’s employment laws, including the new Agency Worker Regulations (AWR), research has shown.

This week, recruitment company de Poel revealed that a staggering 40% of organisations have made no adjustments ahead of the changes to the AWR, which come into force later this year.

From October 1st, companies will be legally required to give temporary workers the same basic employment rights, such as holiday and sick leave, as permanent employees so long as the temporary worker has been with a given firm for 12 or more weeks.

Gillian Econopouly of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation backed the de Poel findings, calling on firms to “put plans in place” for AWR reforms sooner rather than later. But while the research showed many firms to be ill prepared, it also found that more than half 60% of businesses feel these alterations are a step in the wrong direction and will discourage the hiring of temporary workers.

For more on upcoming AWR changes, and similar employment law reforms, contact our experts today.

This entry was posted on Tuesday 7th June, 2011. Edit this entry.