Has anyone here worked for a temping agency and was given a week's notice that the source of their income was no longer going to be available to them?

Were you aware that this was a possibility?

Nope. We weren’t given any indication that the contract was up for renewal or under threat at all. So, now I have to fill in a stack of new paperwork so I can continue working the job I’ve been doing for the last three years. Thankfully, I am fully booked for this next week as a lap-over, but any new bookings for week 23 and further, I will have to do some serious shuffling for so the paper work is in place.

I thought the meaning of temp work was that is was a source of income that was going to be temporary.

I am wondering what is the reason you work for the agency and not for a daycare centre direct? This would be more stable for you? Do these jobs ever come up? I’m sure you have explored this option but I would like to know how it all works

I worked for temp agencies for a while doing fairly basic clerical work.

One company I was assigned to liked me a lot and asked about me working for them, at which point both that company and I were a bit shocked to find out how much the agency was charging them for my time, and how little of that they were paying me. They also had me in a contract which meant the company would need to pay a lot to that agency to hire me directly.

Another company I was assigned to by a different temp agency eventually did end up hiring me. It saved them money and earned me more money.

So I wasn’t in your line of work, but I would suspect that the temp agency has probably been taking a big chunk from the relationship, and this sounds like a good time to talk to the clients about working more directly for them. I don’t know where you live, but it might also be worthwhile to consult a lawyer about exactly what to do and say, and what not to.

The daycare may only use me for one day a week so I rely on the agency to find me work for more of the days of the week. And No, I’m a temporary worker for the place I work only. I can work for the temp agency full time for years.

The daycare agencies can’t hire full time workers for people they bring in to fill in for people on maternity or sick leave or study leave. They have either a ‘List of on-call workers’ (which I may now be able to join because of my history with this one particular daycare) but being on a list for one daycare may absolutely not ensure me enough days a week to afford groceries or rent. They can NOT hire me because they already have a full staff.

I bet that little or no notification was written into fine print of something you signed way up front with the temp agency.
Also, it is a ‘temp’ agency.

But I’m on your side that it seems pretty heartless, and unnecessarily so, possibly just cowardice or plain old incompetence.

They don’t want everyone jumping ship, but still….. it should be our decision.

Could this be a good point to look at getting a qualification in child care? To help you get a permanent job?

Also Can you sign up for all the agencies so that you have a history with them if this happens again?

Stinley, Yes, I should stop temping and go back to school, but I’m 48 years old and qualifying in anything feels silly and much too late. Besides, if I did go back to school, I don’t know if I do want to study child care and I don’t know how long any of that would take. I highly doubt I’d live long enough to finish.

I can sign up to as many agencies as I want now, but I have to get paperwork and letters of reference and a police testimony (a background check on myself we present when working with the elderly or children) It all takes time. Then there is the tax problem it creates. Having more than one employer, you have to pay ‘2nd Job tax’ which I just looked up and it looks like an additional 9%, but I may get it back at the end of the year because my level of income is so low (but I’ll have to check for sure with the tax office itself because the bureaucracy here is insane)
If I can get on the ‘on-call’ lists at a number of barnehages, it should be business as normal, in fact, I’ll get used more because I’ll be cheaper than the agency people. I work plenty now, and the daycares already ring me direct.
My beef is with the lack of notice Manpower gave us and the way they made it sound like there wouldn’t be any problems.

I don’t feel like the relationships you “built up over the years are now useless” because I think that having those relationships can’t be a bad thing. Get in touch with the people and tell them that you’re available, and maybe they can work something out with you on an individual basis. You may come out of this ahead, as your own contractor or something.

Yes, jca… I’m hoping that is what happens. I have to get the paper work in place with each daycare though first. No paperwork, no bookings. Time is of the essence and I can be replaced but perhaps someone less effective, but with the right paperwork. Paperwork rules the world here.

@cazzie “My beef is with the lack of notice Manpower…”

Oh lord, you have those over there too? I have no first hand experience with that company, but I’ve never heard anything good about them.

Something similar happened to me when I lived in NC. In my situation I was part-time (about 30 hours a week) but worked daily and had been working at one job almost a year, previous to that I was in the same company in a different position for a few months, doing similar work the entire time at the company.

The company had massive lay-offs, and eventually got rid of all temps. I stayed with the temp agency and took another assignment at another company. This all happened to me with Manpower. I was very happy working for them. I’m now signed on with Robert Half and they have been fine too. Its a temp agency. I go to temp agencies so I can be flighty about work. When people get laid off or job contracts change, there rarely is a lot of notice if any.

I think if I were you, I would apply to the other agency, and also talk to the company you want to work for about becoming an employee on their payroll. Try everything. Also, you could try to wait for a position that is temp to perm. I get called for those all the time, and I don’t want it, because I don’t want to be permanent right now. Maybe fewer of those exist where you are.

Since you have socialized healthcare, you are so ahead benefit wise than the crap we deal with in America regarding job changes. I wouldn’t think the “benefits” are such a big problem. If you go permanent directly with a company maybe you get sick days and vacation almost immediately.

No, I don’t have to worry about healthcare being tied to my job.

Darth Algar, temp workers is a way for businesses to get around the long term liabilities that hiring employees create. They hire people from all over Europe that come here to work in the building industry for example. As a foreigner here, I can’t get hired. It really is that easy. I don’t speak like a native and I don’t have the qualifications the locals have (which are always required when you apply for a job. It’s a handy way to keep foreigners from taking jobs away from citizens. They have that worked out nicely here.) Temping is my ONLY hope of employment. Does everyone understand that now?

@cazzie It sucks that you have lived there so long, married a citizen of the country, and I assume you are a permanent resident (if they call it that?) and the country still treats you like foreigner/temporary worker. I understand the language problem. My Spanish is good, but I’d have a lot of trouble working in a job where I am expected to be fluent in Spanish.

Can you try a new job with your current agency, and if you’re not happy, then switch to the new agency and try back for where you have been working? Or, do you think it’s a big risk, and it might be difficult to get back in where you were working if you hesitate to change temp agencies?

@cazzie

You took my comment to mean I don’t understand what temp work is or why it’s utilized?

Update: the daycare I’ve been working primarily for sat down with me today, filled in the paperwork online that they needed and it will arrive in my post box within two weeks. They assured me that they could guarantee a minimum of
70% (which is all I need ) and the max of pay based on my past work experience. I just need a letter from the temping agency saying how long (off and on) I worked for them and my CV. They were really grateful about it and one of my colleagues said I had to stay because I was irreplaceable. Coming from a Norwegian, it was an almost tear-wrenching sentiment. I work with some warm and wonderful people. Heck, daycare workers are the best people.

And everyone lived, happily ever after! Yaaay!

@cazzie I’m so glad. Maybe this upheaval is going to be better in the end than if everything had stayed the same.

I also filled in an application to work in my county daycare centers. They finally had an application set up online so we’ll see what comes of that.

Got that job, too! I start in August. I like having all these choices, suddenly. I feel like an actual valued member of society, again.

Great stuff @cazzie