Temp to perm is exactly what it sounds like. Someone starts with you as a temporary worker on the agency payroll, and once you are satisfied they are right for the role they transfer onto your own payroll as a permanent employee.
It is one of the most common requests we get from Northern Ireland employers, and one of the most misunderstood.
How the arrangement works
Weeks one onwards. The worker is employed and paid by Rutledge, weekly, through our PAYE payroll. Holiday pay, pension auto-enrolment and statutory deductions are handled by us. You receive a single invoice covering the hours worked.
The trial period. You manage the person day to day exactly as you would your own staff, but the employment relationship sits with us. If the fit is wrong, the assignment ends without a dismissal process at your end.
The transfer. When you decide to keep them, we agree the transfer date and the terms in writing. Your branch will have set out the transfer fee before the assignment started, so there are no surprises at the point you want to commit.
When temp to perm makes sense
- The role is hard to describe on paper. Some jobs only make sense once someone is standing in them. Warehouse, production and care roles often fall into this category.
- You are hiring at volume. Taking on six people permanently at once carries real risk. Taking on six temporarily and confirming the ones who work out carries much less.
- The workload might not last. If you are not certain the headcount is permanent, temp to perm lets you find out before committing.
- The candidate is currently available. Good people who are between jobs can often start next week on a temporary basis, but would need to work a notice period for a permanent move.
When a permanent hire is the better call
- Senior and specialist roles. Strong candidates in specialist positions are usually in work and will not leave a permanent job for a temporary assignment.
- Roles with a long learning curve. If it takes six months before someone is productive, a trial period does not tell you much.
- Where the market is tight. In sectors where candidates have a choice, offering a temporary start can cost you the person entirely.
The compliance points worth knowing
Agency workers in the UK acquire equal treatment rights on basic pay and conditions after twelve weeks in the same role with the same hirer, under the Agency Workers Regulations. We track qualifying weeks and will flag it with you well before it applies, rather than presenting it as a surprise cost.
Right to work checks are carried out before any assignment begins. Where a role requires Access NI disclosure or NISCC registration, that is arranged as part of the vetting rather than after the fact.
Getting started
Tell your nearest branch what the role involves, the hours, the rate and how soon you need someone. We will be straight with you about whether temp to perm or a permanent search is the realistic route.