The low down on AWR and what you can do if you don't understand the impact it is certain to have on your business.

2. 12-week qualifying period may mislead employers into thinking they have extra time to prepareMonday 1 August 2011 – Many employers are still confused about the implications for their business of the forthcoming Agency Workers Regulations (AWR), despite there being only two months to go to get adequate compliance processes in place, reveals new research from Adecco, the UK’s largest recruiter. <br />Adecco’s latest survey of nearly 500 HR professionals found that respondents were particularly unclear about the impact on temporary workers’ benefits (including holidays) and bonus eligibility, as well as who is ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance with the new rules, which come into force on 1st October.<br />Over half (55%) wrongly think that the regulations entitle temporary workers to exactly the same benefits in kind as permanent staff and almost a quarter mistakenly believe that they will accrue all the same employment rights from day one. Nearly a third are under the impression that agency workers will be entitled to the same bonus arrangements. <br />In addition, more than a quarter (26%) incorrectly believe that the responsibility for ensuring adherence to the new rules lies solely with the temporary staffing agency who provides the workers, whereas in fact the duty is shared.<br />12-week qualifying period may mislead some into thinking they have extra time to prepare<br />Steven Kirkpatrick, managing director of Adecco General Staffing, stresses that from day one, agency workers will be entitled to equal access to collective facilities and amenities, which employers might subsidise and would normally reserve for permanent staff, such as parking, canteen or childcare. They will also be eligible to receive information about internal job vacancies. <br />He says, “Some employers may think that because workers only become eligible for certain entitlements after a 12 week qualifying period, they’ve still got quite a lot of time to sort out what they need to do before the new rules really hit home, but in fact this is not the case.<br />“For those organisations that rely on the flexibility of agency workers, they need to be taking steps to prepare now to ensure that they are compliant from day one. Even for those elements which apply after the 12 week qualifying period, it will still take time to ensure that the necessary processes, such as tracking and monitoring systems, are in place and working properly.”<br />Kirkpatrick concludes: “Employers should start talking to their staffing agencies now, if they have not already done so. Recruiters such as Adecco are best placed to help employers find the right solutions to negotiate this new legislation so that they can continue to make the best use of the flexibility, the temporary workforce affords.”<br />To assist organisations in assessing their current level of understanding around AWR and to provide advice on next steps, Adecco has launched the AWR Assessment Tool. By completing a short series of online questions around agency worker rights and the responsibilities of those hiring new staff, organisations can quickly asses their current level of knowledge, while obtaining tailored advice to ensure they are aware of the necessary steps they need to take to prepare. Organisations interested in accessing the tool can visit: http://adecco-awr.co.uk/<br />Notes to editors<br />The AWR research was conducted by Adecco. Results are based on 448 responses from HR professionals in the UK, whose companies who regularly use temporary staff.<br />For further information or to arrange an interview contact: Claire Laycock or Rebecca Taylor on 08453 700 655 / adecco@octopuscomms.net<br />About Adecco:<br />Adecco is the global leader in employment services, connecting people to jobs through its network of 6,600 offices in more than 71 territories. In the UK alone it has over 120 branches and a client base of over 33,000 organisations from all areas of commerce and industry. Adecco retains over 35,000 temporary workers with around 250 permanent staff placed each week. <br />Adecco is proud to be the Official Recruitment Services Provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Adecco are ranked 26th in The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Companies to Work for list and have achieved 2* Best Companies accreditation for outstanding workplace engagement. <br />The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world's leading provider of HR solutions. With over 28,000 FTE employees and more than 5,700 offices, in over 60 countries and territories around the world, Adecco Group offers a wide variety of services, connecting more than 500,000 colleagues with over 100,000 clients every day. The services offered fall into the broad categories of temporary staffing, permanent placement, outsourcing, consulting and outplacement. The Adecco Group is a Fortune Global 500 company.<br />Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) with listings on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN) and on Euronext in France (ADE).<br />