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How to contact us
HR Division
Lionel Robbins Building (5th Floor)
10 Portugal Street
London WC2A 2HD
Tel: 020 7955 6659 Fax: 020 7242 3967
Temporary agency staff: Guide to using
recruitment agencies
This guide has been produced by the Human Resources Division and the Finance Division to assist
you in using external recruitment agencies.
When spending School money (even if the funds are provided by a research sponsor) you have a
responsibility to get the best deal you can for the School in tandem with engaging the best calibre
personnel who will work on our behalf and represent the best interests of the LSE.
Please be aware that all expenditure is subject to the School’s Financial Regulations.
1.The School's current preferred suppliers
Adecco
('One stop shop' for all temporary administrative staff)
HR, Finance and Procurement
IT
2. Before making a booking
3. London living wage
4. Agency workers regulations (AWR)
5. Making a booking
6. Information sheet ­ To be given to agency staff on their first day
7. Obtaining LSE Staff Cards and IT access for temporary and/or agency staff
8 Timesheets
9. Invoices
10. Auto­enrolment
11.Using other agencies
12. Offering agency staff permanent contracts
These are outlined in detail below:
1. The School's current preferred suppliers The School has a framework of preferred suppliers for temporary agency staff which means that the
School is contractually obliged to source temporary agency workers via one of the preferred
suppliers, unless the preferred supplier is unable to supply a suitable for candidate for that particular
booking.
The benefit of having a preferred supplier list is that we have negotiated preferential rates which
makes the cost of employing agency staff more economical, as well as having an established
relationship with a supplier that understands the School’s needs and service requirements.
The School’s current preferred suppliers are listed in the sections below: https://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/staff/humanResources/joiningLSE/recruitingContracting/internal/bookingTempStaff/home.aspx
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1. Adecco (A One­stop­shop for temporary administrative staff)
Adecco can supply agency staff with a wide range of skills and expertise across a variety of
disciplines, including general administration and PA, finance, HR, reception and data entry. Adecco is based at:
1st Floor
299 Oxford Street
London
W1C 2DZ
Our Account Manager at Adecco is Louise Corke. Louise is happy to discuss your temporary staff
requirements with you and answer any queries you may have. Louise can be contacted by email
directly at [email protected] or via telephone on 0207 016 7650. In Louise’s absence,
please email [email protected] where a member of the team will pick up your request
2a. The preferred agencies for Professional Staff (including HR, Finance and Procurement)
ranked in order are:
1. Step Ahead
The contact details for Step Ahead can be found at: http://www.stepahead.co.uk/
2.Blue Arrow
The contact details for Blue Arrow can be found at:http://www.bluearrow.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
3.Allen Lane
The contact details for Allen Lane can be found at: http://www.allenlane.co.uk/
2b. The preferred agencies for IT Staff ranked in order are:
1.Certes Recruitment
The contact details for Certes Recruitment can be found at: http://www.certes.co.uk/
2.LA International Computer Consultants:
The contact details for LA International Computer Consultants can be found
at:http://www.lainternational.com/index.html
3.Blue Arrow: http://www.bluearrow.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
The contact details for Blue Arrow can be found at:http://www.bluearrow.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
2c. The Process for using the ranked agencies
When employing temps, it is essential that you follow the process as outlined below:
You should either request CVs from the number 1 ranked supplier only or, request CVs
from all three suppliers. Please note: It would not be appropriate to request CVs from the
number 2 or 3 ranked suppliers only, or to request CVs from only 2 suppliers.
The booking should be awarded to the agency that provides the most suitable candidate at the
best value for money.
If more than one supplier provides the most suitable candidate, the booking should be based
on price ­ i.e. the supplier providing the lowest rate to the LSE after supplier additions
(margin etc.) should be used. If it is still equal the booking should be awarded to the highest
ranked framework supplier.
2.Before making a booking Agency workers are normally used in cases where departments need flexibility on a short term basis.
Usually the agency workers will assist in relation to:
Occasional work, such as a one­off short project
Sudden increases in workload
The absence of employees, for example due to holiday or sickness, where it is not practicable
to cover with existing staff.
Before making a booking, consider whether you have approved funds for an agency worker and
whether you have authority to make a temporary staff booking. Please think carefully about what you want the agency worker to do, how long you need them for
and how much it will cost in order to decide whether using an agency worker is the most effective
solution.
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If you do decide to hire agency staff, please consider how long you will need them for from the
outset, and review your needs during the booking to ensure that it does not continue indefinitely. We
would recommend that an agency booking lasts for no more than three months.
If you are not a School employee, you should seek formal authorisation from the Head of
Department/Division to take part in recruitment of temporary staff. A panel formed to carry out a
recruitment exercise must always include a School employee. The Chair of a recruitment panel should
be a School employee.
If you would like to discuss your staffing needs further, please contact your HR Partnerfor advice. 3. London Living Wage LSE is committed to the London Living Wage which is a supplementary amount to the UK minimum
pay rate to reflect the additional costs of working in the London area. We would insist that suppliers
pay, as a minimum, the London Living Wage rate for all staff providing services on LSE sites. As of October 2016, the London Living Wage stands at £9.40 per hour.
LSE has increased its lowest rate for Adecco agency staff to £9.40 per hour in line with this change,
with effect from 1st November 4. Agency Workers Regulations The Agency Workers Regulations came into force on 1 October 2011. The main principle of which
was to establish equal treatment for certain terms and conditions after a qualifying period of 12
weeks.
The Regulations apply to all agency workers who have a contract with a temporary work agency and
who are supplied to the School via this agency. The agency workers will have rights of equal
treatment from day one joining the School. After a 12 weeks qualifying period, agency workers will
need to be paid at the same rates as current employees of the School and will have to given the same
holiday allowance. Please also ensure that you give an Information Sheet to all temporary workers on their first day of
work at the School.
Who is covered by the regulations? The Regulations apply to agency workers who have a contract with a temporary work agency and are
supplied by a temporary work agency to a 'hirer' (i.e. the School).
The Regulations also cover agency workers supplied via intermediaries through the 'umbrella
company' ­ in the case of the School, Adecco.
Who is not covered by the regulations? The regulations do not cover the genuinely self­employed or individuals working through their own
limited liability company. Nor do the Regulations apply to the employees of other contractors who
supply services to the School, e.g. those companies who are contracted to supply cleaning, security
and building services.
'Comparative employee'
The Regulations aim to ensure an agency worker is engaged on the same relevant terms and
conditions as a "comparable employee". In other words, it is important to determine what terms and
conditions would apply to the agency worker if they had been directly recruited into the role.
What rights do agency workers have?
The principle of equal treatment will only apply to certain terms and conditions relating to working
time, holiday entitlement and pay. Qualifying agency workers will be entitled to the relevant terms
and conditions to which they would have been entitled if they have been recruited directly by the
School. Specifically, from day 1 of their employment, an agency worker is entitled to:
the same access to facilities such as staff canteens , childcare provision, toilet and shower
facilities, staff common room, breastfeeding facilities and prayer rooms. Please note that this
is not an exhaustive list and the right might apply to other facilities and benefits. There is not
however a definite guide included in the Regulations.
access to internal job vacancies. The agency worker should be able to access and apply for
vacancies in the same way as a 'comparable employee'.
paid time off to attend ante­natal appointments during their working hours.
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(Certain employment rights already enjoyed by temporary workers, such as the statutory holiday
entitlement, continue to apply and are not affected by the Regulations.) After a 12­week qualifying period, the agency worker will be entitled to:
pay to which an employee who has been directly recruited to the same job would be entitled
to. This includes bonus or commission as per the direct employee but only if all relevant
conditions are met as per the direct employee. The definition of pay does not include
redundancy pay, contractual sick pay, maternity, paternity or adoption pay;
paid holiday equivalent to LSE employees, pro­rated according to the duration of the
assignment (i.e. 41 days per annum inclusive of annual leave, bank holidays and School
Closure days);
working time duration; the agency worker will work the same basic working hours as an
employee who is recruited to the same job;
rest periods and night work: the agency worker will be entitled to the same rest periods and
breaks to which an employee who is recruited directly to the same job would be entitled.
Equal treatment Equal treatment as it is enforced by the Regulations of Agency Workers is more limited than the EU
Part­Time and Fixed­Term Workers' Directives. The Agency Workers Regulations only apply to
certain terms and conditions as described above.
Qualifying Period
The right to equal treatment for certain terms and conditions will only apply if the worker has worked
in the same role for 12 weeks.
If the agency worker is undertaking a new assignment in the same role, the worker's qualifying
period will continue to accrue. The agency worker will be deemed to be continuing to work in the
same role unless:
The work or duties that make up the new role are substantially different from the work that
made up the previous role. Note that, the Regulations do not clearly state what 'substantively
different' means and the School will need to assess on a case­by­case basis whether this
applies AND
The agency has informed the agency worker in writing that they will be required to do in the
new role which is substantially different from the work that made up the previous role.
If an agency worker takes up a new role which is 'substantively different' from a previous role, or
there is a break of more than six weeks between assignments then the qualifying period may re­start.
In summary, most breaks between or during an assignment to the same role that are less than 6
weeks in length will simply pause the accrual of the 12­week qualifying period. Most breaks between
or during an assignment to the same role that are 6 weeks or more will reset the 12­week qualifying
period. So, only a period of 6 weeks or more would constitute a break, after which the 12 weeks
"qualifying period" would restart.
The accrual of the 12 weeks qualifying period can be paused by:
absences for sickness and jury service (for up to 28 weeks)
annual leave, shut downs (i.e. School Closure) and industrial action (for the duration of the
absence).
Pregnancy and maternity­related absences, paternity leave and adoption leave will not pause the 12­
week accrual at all ­ instead the 12­week accrual period will continue throughout the duration of the
absence and include these weeks as those counting towards the 12­week total.
What if an agency worker is working on more than one assignment? If an agency worker is working on more than one assignment, rights for each assignment will accrue
separately. Liability and enforcement The School is responsible for ensuring that the temporary workforce is dealt with appropriately under
these Regulations and the risks to the School are minimised. Potentially agency workers would be
able to make a claim against the School to an Employment Tribunal for equal treatment under these
Regulations. Such claims would have to be presented within three months of the act complained of. If
the claim succeeds, the employment tribunal can make an award of compensation. Compensation will
be subject to a minimum two weeks' pay. Implications to the School ­ What should the School do to comply with the Regulations?
The School will need to work with the hiring managers to balance the needs for recruiting an agency
worker versus a permanent member of staff. If a temporary worker is however required, the hiring manager should:
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source the temporary worker from Adecco rather than other agencies
write a list of tasks in the 'Booking form' as this will help the School to identify if the agency
worker is doing 'substantively different' work when they move to another placement within
the School
be clear as to the period the temporary worker is required
be fully aware of the obligations from day 1 and act accordingly
be fully aware of obligations, including higher pay rate and holiday entitlement after 12
weeks, and act accordingly, in liaison with the agency, Human Resources and Finance
Division as appropriate.
Adecco also occasionally uses second tier agencies and in this respect, there are clear instructions by
the School and by Adecco as to what pay rates and holiday entitlement applies. Adecco sends triggers to managers at 6 ,10 and 12 weeks of the placement to alert them when a
booking is coming near to the 12 weeks.
If you need any clarifications on the Agency Workers Regulations please do not hesitate to contact
your HR Adviser.
5. Making a booking
All bookings for temporary staff should be made via Adecco, including the replacement of
temps, by completing a booking form. HR will forward this form to the School's preferred suppliers
of temporary staff, Adecco, a multi­sector recruitment provider. Adecco is able to supply temporary
staff for most roles within the School. Completing a booking form allows you to provide HR with all the information about your
requirements. Adecco will then contact you directly to discuss your requirements in more detail, if
required. Please see the current pay rates of agency staff. Please inform the agency if a budget code changes through the course of the booking. If you wish to use Step Ahead, Blue Arrow, Certes Recruitment, LA or International Computer
Consultants, please contact them directly with details of the booking.
6. Information Sheet
The Information Sheet should be given to all agency staff on the first day of their booking at the
School. The information sheet explains what agency workers are entitled to under the Agency Workers
Regulations and helps LSE to demonstrate it is fulfilling its obligations. If you need any clarifications on the Agency Workers Regulations please do not hesitate to contact
your HR Adviser.
7. Obtaining LSE Staff Cards and IT access for temporary and/or agency staff
LSE Card
1. If you need to obtain an associate card for a temporary member of staff, you should first
complete the online Associate Application Form on their behalf. This will serve as their
guarantee of loans.
2. The staff member will then to fill in and submit a self­registration form online so that a
record is generated for them, on which we create a card.
3. A member of Admissions staff will contact the department (the manager who acted as
guarantor) when the card is ready to be collected by the Associate staff member. This
information, and links to the relevant forms, can be found here.
IT Access
1. Once a library card has been issued, the member of staff should go to the walk­in centre on
the first floor of St Clements Building room S198 where they will be able collect their login
details.
2. This service is open from 9.30­5.30pm Monday to Friday.
3. Please note that an email account should only be requested for a temporary member of staff
if it is essential for them to undertake the work that will be assigned to them. The person
making the request for an IT account is responsible for ensuring that the email account is
deactivated when the person leaves the LSE – particularly in cases if they leave earlier than
expected. If the individual leaves the LSE, please note the IT Service Desk by email, stating
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the name of the person and the date that they are leaving/left so that their IT account can be
deactivated.
4. The person requesting the IT account is also responsible for ensuring that visitors read, sign
and date a copy of the ‘Conditions of Use’ form and returning this to IMT.
8. Timesheets Once a temporary assignment has been confirmed:
Adecco will email you login details for their electronic timesheet system. Please see the Time entry user guide and Time approver user guide for further guidance on
how to use the online timesheet system.
Please ensure your temp's hours are approved on the system by midday every Monday. The team member that you have nominated as 'deputy timesheet authoriser' can approve the
timesheet in your absence. Failure to authorise the timesheet will result in your temporary
staff not being paid. If the primary and deputy time authorisers are not available to approve a timesheet by the
deadline, please contact Adecco (Tel: 0207 016 7650).
This online system approval acts as authorisation for the hours worked by the temp and this
information will be used to generate the invoice to LSE.
9. Invoices All Adecco invoices (along with the approved timesheet) will be emailed directly to the Accounts
Payable (AP) Team as well as the line manager for the temporary staff engaged. The approved
timesheet will be used as the basis of authorisation for the invoice to be paid based on the agreed
settlement terms.
Each invoice states:
Temporary's Name
Line Manager's Name
Budget Code
1. The first line shows net charge, which is the total hours worked x the temporary charge rate.
2. The second line shows the total VAT amount, which is the net charge x 20%.
3. The final line shows the total charge, which is the net charge plus VAT amount.
4. The holiday accrual is calculated at 12.07% of the net pay. This will change to 18.72% for
any temp placement after 12 weeks. For a detailed breakdown of the different hourly pay and hourly charge rates, please refer to the pay
rates of agency staff. The timesheets that you fill in online will show the total hours worked, the temp's hourly pay rate and
the hourly charge rate. Adecco have an online timesheet approval system. They will give line managers access when a new
booking is made. If you are using another agency from the preferred suppliers, please liaise with
them directly regarding the invoice payment process.
Please note invoices will be sent by email to the AP Team and the line manager identified on the
booking form rather than sent by post.
The AP Team will assume that all Adecco invoices received are authorised for payment, based on
the attached approved timesheet and confirmation of the contracted rate. All invoices with rate
discrepancies will be put on hold and referred to the line manager. The line manager has 3 days to contest payment of any invoice. After that, the invoice will be
scheduled for payment. If you have any queries about your invoice please contact the AP Team to
place a hold on payment, then contract Adecco on 0207 016 7650.
We are looking to pay all invoices promptly to avoid a late payment fee. If you have any queries
about your invoice, please contact Adecco on 0207 016 7650.
10. Auto­enrolment When you make a booking, please be aware that it is likely that your temporary member of staff will
be eligible for the Auto­Enrolment Pension Scheme which came into force on 1 October 2012.
Legislation introduced by HMRC intends to make it easier for people to save for their retirement. It
requires all employers to enrol their workers into a qualifying workplace scheme if they are not
already in one, provided that they meet certain age and earnings criteria.
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LSE already has pension schemes set up for salaried employees, and this legislation has meant that
staffing agencies have been required to ensure that their temporary staff are also enrolled into a
pension.
The Government plans to phase in the level of compulsory contributions over time:
• 2013 – 1% employer contribution
• 2017 – 2% employer contribution
• 2018 – 3% employer contribution
This additional piece of legislation means that the rates that LSE pays for Adecco staff have increased
slightly to include pension contributions.
There will be two sets of rates, one for temporaries who are eligible for autoenrolment pension and
one for temporaries who are not eligible. We have also included rates for temporaries who are in
weeks 1­12 of their assignment with you and one for temporaries who are in weeks 13+ of their
assignment with you.
Please see the agency pay rates for the new rates.
If you have any queries about the rates, please contact Louise Corke at Adecco on 0207 016 7650 or
by email to [email protected]
11. Using other agencies outside of the framework As LSE has a contract in place for a preferred supplier of agency staff, we must ensure that all
bookings are placed with either Adecco or one of the other agencies on the framework. Adecco is a
‘one­stop shop’ for all administrative, clerical, reception, office, finance and data entry skills and has
been very successful in meeting LSE’s needs and understanding our specific requirements. In cases where Adecco are unable to supply a suitable candidate for a temporary booking, they will
go to their second tier suppliers to source other candidates who may be more suitable. The benefit of
this is that the temporary staff are secured at the agreed rates with Adecco, and the other agencies on
the framework, rather than with higher rates which the agencies may charge if we approached them
directly. In the event that Adecco and the other agencies on the framework are unable to find a suitable
candidate, either themselves or by sourcing a candidate from their second tier agencies, you may
make a case to use an agency of your choice. You should contact the HR Adviser for your
department and provide the following information:
1. A summary of your requirements and the skills/experience that you are looking for
2. A description of the steps that you have undertaken to find a suitable candidate from Adecco
and/or the other agencies on the framework, and their second tier agencies
3. Evidence to demonstrate why Adecco and/or the other agencies on the framework have not been
able to meet your needs either themselves or by their second tier agencies.
We will consider whether it would be appropriate to approach another agency and come back to you
as soon as possible.
Please note that if you do receive permission to use another agency, their rates will be higher than
those of Adecco and you will need to negotiate the lowest rate you can in order to make the booking
as cost effective as possible. 12. Offering agency staff permanent contracts
Agency staff are eligible to apply for vacancies that are advertised at the School. However, should
you wish to consider offering an agency worker a contract at the School, you must first consider any
employees who are on the redeployment register and/or advertise the role, at least internally, to give
other employees the opportunity to be considered for it.
This is to help the School maintain its commitment to fairness and to providing career development
opportunities to staff. If you are considering whether to make an existing temporary booking fixed­
term or permanent, please consult with your HR Adviser before taking any action.
Please note that Adecco have temp to perm rates for any agency staff that are given fixed­term or
permanent contracts with the School. Please see the temp to perm rates. Please be aware that other
agencies will also have temp to perm rates which may be higher.
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