Term
Agency worker: what the term means
A worker supplied by a temporary work agency to work under the supervision of a hirer, with day-one rights and equal treatment after 12 weeks.
A worker supplied by a temporary work agency to work under the supervision of a hirer, with day-one rights and equal treatment after 12 weeks.
Agency worker in practice
Under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, agency workers have access to the hirer's shared facilities and information about vacancies from their first day. After 12 weeks in the same role with the same hirer, they qualify for the same basic working and employment conditions as directly recruited staff, including equal pay.
The 12-week period does not need to be continuous; some breaks pause it and others restart it. Hirers must give agencies the information needed to apply equal treatment.
Source: gov.uk