FAQs

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What is the role of a recruitment agency?

A recruitment agency is a company that finds people looking for work (candidates) and matches these with job vacancies on behalf of an employer (client).

Why use a recruitment agency?

For the employer, using a recruiter saves precious working time as it can be a long process for companies to advertise the role, screen candidates and arrange interviews. It can cost a lot of money to offset a bad hire and agencies will have expert knowledge of the recruitment process, the local market as well candidate availability, which employers will often not.

What contract types do you deal with?

  • Temporary - Temp positions can be anything from a day's work to full-time work for over a year. The candidate will fill in a timesheet each week which records the number of hours worked.
  • Temp-to-perm - This is an initial contract which after a confirmed time frame can lead into a permanent position. The employer/candidate can end the contract at any point or the employer can decide to offer a permanent placement.
  • Permanent - Perm positions do not have an end date, the person considered becomes an employee of the client company.

How much does it cost and when do I pay?

The cost is agreed at the start of the recruitment process and is only paid when the candidate has been taken on by the employer:

  • Temporary worker fees - Basic salary plus a percentage on top which covers the agencies costs such as holiday pay, sick pay, pension and national insurance.
  • Temp to perm fees - Basic salary plus a percentage on top, similar to temp worker fees, but also charges a transfer fee once the worker has been made permanent which is determined by our terms and conditions.
  • Perm fees - A percentage of annual salary with the fee being paid once the vacancy is filled.

How do we find candidates?

We source our candidates through a variety of channels including:

  • Online Job boards
  • Stafflex website
  • Job fairs and career events
  • Social media
  • Our extensive internal database
  • Candidate walk-in or phone calls

How does holiday pay work?

All workers are entitled up to a minimum of 5.6 weeks (28 days) holiday (including bank and public holidays) each year, paid at your average weekly pay and accrued at 12.07% in proportion to the amount of time worked by the agency worker on assignment.

Your leave year starts on the first day that you work and runs to the yearly anniversary of this date (12 months). For education-based candidates we follow the school academic calendar therefore the leave year will be from 1st September until 31st August the following year.

If you want to book holidays you must notify us at least twice the length of the intended leave or 1 week of the required leave (whichever is greater). All holiday must be taken in the year in which it accrues and holiday cannot be carried over.

Do we use an umbrella company?

No - Stafflex has never used an umbrella company in our 20 year history and we never will.

We have never been convinced that the umbrella company model has approval from HMRC and neither have we trusted what we've been told. Essentially we don't believe it is an ethical way to do business. Click here for further information.

Are candidates full vetted?

We meet all our candidates face-to-face which means we know them on a personal level and not just from their initial CV. We have a robust compliance procedure which includes full checks for Passport, Birth Certificate, Driving Licence and NI number to ensure that all candidates are eligible to work in the UK.

How do we invoice?

Invoices are outsourced by our payroll company which are sent via email on Thursday/Friday every week. Timesheets are also attached to the invoice.

Can I get in touch with Stafflex at all times?

We are available 24 hours a day. For out of office hours please ring our office number which is diverted to the on call service.

Do you have a question that is not answered here?
If so, please contact us via email or phone.