RecruiterMagazine.co.uk - Clients need contractual relationships with agents
Clients need contractual relationships with agents
Published: 18 April 2007 Author: Ben Jones
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Recruiters and clients need a clear contractual relationship to work well together, according to a representative from a charity for the homeless.
Pete Jeffery, executive director of HR, audit and facilities at St Mungo's, said that the organisation was evaluating the way it used agency staff in order to keep tabs on spending. Jeffery revealed that up to 10% of his staff budget each year went on agency staff.
"I think the thing which has become most apparent to us, when dealing with agencies, is the need for a very clear contractual relationship," Jeffery told Recruiter.
"Agencies need to know what we expect from them, not just in terms of cost but also on an output basis."
Jeffery said that, although relations between his organisation and agencies had improved, St Mungo's had experienced problems in the past with the standard of some agency staff. A number, for example, had not been background checked with the Criminal Records Bureau — mandatory for anyone who wants to work with vulnerable people.
Jeffery said that, because St Mungo's relied on irregular funding streams from others, there was an "overwhelming consciousness to spend money wisely". It was this desire to be prudent which had led the charity to look at its use of agency staff.
Jeffery was speaking at a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development forum on 2 April on the challenges of managing agency and temporary workers.
David Jenkins, of law firm Watson Burton, and Iain Snape and David Acklam, of Rolls-Royce, also gave presentations at the event in central London.
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