When it comes to employment, temporary staffing agencies get more than their share of bad name. This is unfortunate because they fulfil a crucial role in the business world. With companies increasingly resorting to temporary hiring for both, skilled and unskilled labour, to meet their short-term requirements, temping agencies act as an important bridge connecting jobseekers with employers.
In this article, we will analyse some of the most prevalent myths about temping agencies and explain why they are wrong. We will also attempt to correct these notions so that readers are able to form a correct impression about the temping industry. Here are some common myths about temping agencies. Read on to know why they are false, and what the real facts are.
1. Temping Agencies Charge Candidates a Fee
One of the most widespread myths about temping agencies relate to the notion that they charge a fee for enrolling jobseekers in their candidate pool. It is also believed that they take a large chunk of your salary as commission. That is not how temping agencies operate. Once a candidate is placed, s/he will receive the full salary as promised by the agency.
Temping agencies earn their income by billing the employer for providing them with a suitable candidate for the project. This is usually added to your salary as a percentage amount (it can range anything between 30% and 70% of your salary depending on various factors). Let’s say your agreed salary is AED 1000 per month. The agency may charge the employer a 50% commission on your salary, which comes to a total of AED 1500. In this case, you will still get AED 1000 while the agency will collect the extra amount which it has added to your salary. Hence, the salary of the employee remains unaffected. In other words, the belief that employees need to pay the agency for enrolling or placement is simply untrue.
2. Employee Interests Get Sidelined
There is a strong perception among employees that temping agencies only care about their commission and not about the interests of the candidate, as manifested in the belief that they are willing to place candidates in roles which are unsuitable for them. This again is false. A temping agency is a conduit between businesses willing to hire talent and jobseekers willing to offer their expertise, and their success depends on providing quality services to both.
A temping agency which fails to provide the correct placement to a jobseeker, or the right candidate to the employer, will earn a bad reputation in the market and eventually be driven out of business. What’s more, there are checks and balances in the form of employer interviews and employee consent to prevent bad placements. When it comes to staffing, it is important to understand that the interests of the jobseeker, employer and temping agency are closely aligned. Compromising hiring standards will not only hurt other stakeholders but also the agency itself.
3. Extended Work Hours for Employees
Some people believe that candidates who go through temping agencies end up working additional hours. This is incorrect as work hours depend on the industry, position, nature of work, the terms of the contract and of course the law of the land. Temps may be asked by the employer to put in extra hours subject to the law and the terms specified in the contract.
4. Temp Agencies Do Not Offer Employee Benefits
One of the most common myths is that temporary agencies do not offer employee benefits like health insurance. The reality is that the best temping agencies offer benefits to their employees which are on a par with permanent jobs. The only difference is that these may not be available immediately on joining. Candidates need to be associated with the agency for a reasonable period of time—say, three months—to be eligible for employee benefits.
5. Temp Agencies Only Offer Low-Level Jobs
A major misconception relates to the notion that temping agencies only recruit employees for low-level jobs such as data entry or telecalling. The reality is that they recruit suitable candidates for all kinds of jobs and work profiles—from the highest to the lowest levels—including finance professionals, medical professionals, technical officers, IT specialists, security experts, people from the logistics domain, nurses, as well as skilled and unskilled workers like plumbers, electricians, welders, mechanics, drivers and labourers.
6. Enlisting with an Agency Doesn’t Help Much
Temping agencies are well-connected to employers across several industries and carry the potential to open doors to numerous possibilities that won’t be available to candidates otherwise. In addition, they provide training, career counselling and resume writing services to help jobseekers secure the right employment opportunity. These value-added services are evidence of the fact that temping agencies are serious about helping candidates find suitable jobs and are willing to put in the hard work that is necessary to make it happen.
Temp Agencies Can Help You Get Ahead
It is important to counter misconceptions about temping agencies with the right set of facts so that jobseekers have a clear idea about how these organisations function and how they can help them in their career. Jobseekers looking for work are encouraged to enlist with a temping agency to help them find suitable placements. Whether you are a fresher who is starting a career or an experienced professional on the lookout for exciting short-term work, temping agencies are a good bet to connect you to employers who are in need of your skills.
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