What are your Rights as a Temporary Worker?

It can be confusing trying to understand what your rights are as a temporary worker. We think it’s important to know that, although you are not directly employed by the people you work for, you still have rights.

Firstly, you are a temporary worker if you work for an employer, but your contract is with an employment agency, such as Simpson Dean Recruitment. We would always advise you to read the contract carefully to understand whether it’s the employer or agency who will be responsible for your rights.

  • As a temporary worker you are entitled to the following benefits:
  • Zero discrimination based on age, disability, gender, race, religion or sexuality
  • Minimum wage
  • Paid holiday
  • Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
  • Parental leave (unpaid), subject to conditions
  • Paid time off for antenatal appointments if pregnant (after 12 weeks)
  • The same basic pay and working conditions as permanent staff if there are any doing comparable work to you (after 12 weeks)
  • Use of the workplace facilities for staff, like nursery or canteen
  • Citizens Advice has more details of your rights. Click here.

If you’re working as a temporary worker you’ll still need to pay National Insurance and tax if you earn over a certain amount.

The Money Advice Service advises that if you work as an employee of an agency then they will need to take your tax and National Insurance out of your pay through the PAYE system, along with any Student Loan repayments you owe. The agency will also need to give you payslips which will show how the money you get has been worked out.

If you stop working for the recruitment agency they must give you a P45 form to take to your next job. If you’re employed at the end of a tax year, you should also be given a P60 with details of your tax code and how much tax you’ve paid.

We always advise temporary workers to make sure they have the right tax codes to avoid paying too little or too much tax. Contact HMRC if you need help or information on your tax codes.

If you’re looking for a temporary position in Berks, Bucks or Oxfordshire, please look at our website: Simpson Dean Recruitment.

We pride ourselves on being a fair and supportive agency for temporary workers. We’re here to help you succeed.

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