Welcome to the Workers Zone

Your One Stop Shop for all the Important Information & Resources

By now you will have chosen your contract type and payment method, these are as follows:

PAYE: A contract directly with the worker which looks and feels much like a permanent employment contract and gives limited statutory rights.

Umbrella: A contract with a third party limited company, who manages the agency worker’s contract, pay and taxation.

Ltd Company: A contract of service between Red Snapper Recruitment (RSR) and a limited (personal service) company owned by the worker, typically within the scope of IR35 legislation.

The sections below will outline the differences between each option and also give you more information in relation to your pay and any bonuses you may be eligible for.

PAYE

Contract: You will have a contract of service with Red Snapper Recruitment Ltd. Your employment status will be ‘Agency Worker’.

Taxation: You will be subject to Pay as You Earn (PAYE), which will be provided by Red Snapper Recruitment through our payment and timesheet authorisation platform: Evertime.

Your income tax and National Insurance (NI) will be deducted from your pay in each pay period and Red Snapper will pay employer NI on your behalf. Expenses will be treated as if you are a permanently employed worker, this means that only expenses you have been required to incur whilst on business will be tax deductible. Expenses will only be reimbursed if authorised by the client through the timesheet authorisation process.

Entitlements: You will be entitled to statutory holiday, statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay and an employer funded pension.

Holiday: Your holiday credit will be shown on the Evertime Portal as a cash balance. When you wish to do so, you can simply claim the amount of money you require in order to pay yourself for your leave days.

(Full instruction of how to make the claim will be issued when you receive your Evertime log in details.)

Pensions: The RSR Agency Worker Pension Scheme is operated by Now Pensions and affords the benefits laid down by the government under the auto-enrolment scheme. You can find out more about the latest pension enrolment rates, via the GOV.UK site.

Under the RSR Agency Worker Pension Scheme, Agency Workers are able to contribute as much of their salary as they would like to into the scheme, subject to the minimum limits shown above.

If you do not wish to be part of the scheme, you will simply need to opt out by contacting payroll@rsg.ltd.

Notice: A PAYE agency worker contract does not entitle you to a notice period, notice pay or redundancy pay. The contract can be terminated by Red Snapper Recruitment Ltd, or by you, without notice.

Payments: You will receive a payslip and the standard PAYE documents when relevant, such as the P60 and the P45.

Umbrella

Contract: You will have a contract of service with the umbrella company, not Red Snapper Recruitment Ltd. Your umbrella company will instead have a contract with Red Snapper. We work with Eden Group, who offer an easy, fully compliant and flexible umbrella employment solution for contractors.

A benefit of using an umbrella company is that you are able to maintain one employer contract whilst undertaking any number of temporary assignments.

This will mean you have one employment record for reference purposes and a single pension pot (if you have not opted out of the auto-enrolled pension scheme).

All umbrella companies used by workers must be FCSA accredited. You can find out which umbrella companies are accredited here.

If you already have a relationship with an umbrella company that is FCSA accredited and you wish us to contract with them rather than Eden Group, please let us know the details. However, one of the drawbacks of not working through Eden is that other companies are unlikely to pay you without cleared funds from us, in the event of a problem with your timesheet for example; Eden will however, pay you without payment from us in the event of a problem.

Taxation: As you will be a permanent employee, you will be subject to Pay as You Earn (PAYE). Income tax and national insurance will be deducted from your pay in each pay period and Eden will pay employer national insurance on your behalf. Expenses will only be reimbursed if authorised through the Evertime Portal. The umbrella business will charge a fee for their service so you may wish to ask for a net pay calculation in order to understand your position.

Entitlements: As you will hold a full employment contract, you will have full statutory entitlements, as if you were an employee including paid holiday, statutory sick and maternity pay, notice and redundancy pay. You will need to discuss redundancy entitlements with the umbrella company, as the treatment can vary between providers.

Holiday: Your holiday allowance will be handled by your umbrella company. RSR Ltd will pay an hourly amount to cover your holiday entitlement to your umbrella company, along with their hourly fee.

Payments: You will receive a pay slip and the standard PAYE documents when relevant, such as the P60 and the P45.

Ltd Company

Contract: A contract of service will exist between Red Snapper Recruitment and the limited company, so you will not personally hold a contract with RSR Ltd. The normal contract used by Red Snapper for limited company relationships is the REC standard contract for Ltd companies who are inside the scope of IR35.

Almost all engagements managed by RSR are inside the scope of IR35, because they have many characteristics of an employment relationship, not least the fact that they are subject to control by the client. Being inside IR35 does not preclude you from working through a limited company should you choose to do so.

However, you must confirm to us that you are operating the correct tax and national insurance withholdings and reporting compliantly to HMRC.

Taxation: The fees paid to your limited (personal service) company will be subject to corporation tax. You may wish to register for VAT but it is not mandatory, (subject to turnover).

Where you are considered to have an employment relationship with the end client (i.e. you are inside IR35), the fee should be treated as employment income within your limited company. This means that PAYE will need to be accounted for, which includes the deduction of income tax, employee national insurance as well as the payment of employer national insurance on top of the income paid. This taxed income is then excluded from your corporation tax.

Where the end client is a public sector authority (defined as subject to the Freedom of Information Act), RSR will make the PAYE deductions before passing your payment to you. This payment will include any VAT owed. If the end client is not a public sector authority, the gross payment inclusive of an amount equivalent to employer NI will be paid to you for your limited company to process and pay to HMRC. In both cases, the net pay to you as an individual should be broadly the
same.

You should also note that just as umbrella organisations, personal service companies are considered employment intermediaries when assessing the tax treatment of travel and subsistence expenses.

The consequence of these rules are that where the worker is entitled to supervision, direction or control in the manner that they undertake their duties, the worker can no longer deduct expenses relating to most commuting or other private travel subsistence that may have previously been available under temporary workplace rules.

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All timesheet and expenses information needs to be reported electronically.

Your Account Manager will explain the specific process that is relevant to you as this will depend on the client you are working for.

You can choose to be paid weekly or monthly.

Your line manager needs to approve your timesheet electronically by 5:30pm on the Monday for you, or your nominated company, to be paid the following Friday if paid weekly, (or on the last Monday of every month if you opt to be paid monthly).

You need to be conscious of the time required to obtain authorisation and it is recommended that you check that your timesheet has been authorised with plenty of time spare to take corrective action if it has not.

If you are having difficulties with your authorising manager or need to change authorisers, please contact the Red Snapper accounts team as early as possible before the deadline. You can contact the team directly via payroll@rsg.ltd, or call us on 0203 119 3315.

Where there is a bank holiday(s) in the week, you will be issued with a revised timetable for authorised timesheet submission and payment so keep your eyes peeled for this.

Please note that the authorised timesheet including expense claim and requisite receipts is all we need to process your pay on an ongoing basis. We do not require company invoices as the Evertime system will produce these for you.

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Once you’ve secured your post and begun working for us on an assignment, it’s important to us and our clients that you are happy in your new position and remain in post for the duration of your contract.

At Red Snapper, we’re experts in negotiating competitive pay for our agency workers and our customer service delivery is the best in the market.

However, we like to go even further and therefore we offer all our agency staff a comprehensive benefits package.

Our Benefits Package

  • The RSR Agency Workers benefit package is second-to-none and reflects the importance we place on the satisfaction of our agency workers and their retention with us.
  • We offer Free Training, CPD and on-going development courses as standard. This includes both e-learning and classroom based training days. We tailor our training based on your needs, so any CPD delivered will be specific to your role.
  • All our agency workers recieved a discounted Police Oracle news subscription, giving you access to the latest law enforcement news from our independent editorial team.
  • Free access to online training courses and further CPD via courses.rsl.ltd alongside discounted access to Police Revision.
  • We regularly organise social events for teams of agency workers, including drinks and nibbles (Events will be re-organised for when the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted).
  • Advancement of pay when required, including small loans to assist with starting new assignments.
  • Relocation support and travel arrangements, on a case-by-case basis.

Referral Bonus

We also offer bonuses for introducing friends and colleagues, who are not already registered with us to work with Red Snapper:

  • Referral resulting in agency assignment – £75 in vouchers of your choice*
  • Referral resulting in permanent placement – £100 in vouchers of your choice

We can only pay referral fees to referred individuals who then go on to be placed with one of our clients on a contract or on a permanent basis.

*Please note, that agency assignments must last a minimum of 12 weeks before being entitled to a referral fee.

Holidays

Holiday will be agreed with your line manager. The Evertime system will set aside a percentage of your pay whenever you work, which will be shown as a cash equivalent.

Whenever you’re ready to take your leave, you may draw down from this accrued pot to cover your holiday(s).

Agency staff are allowed to take holiday subject to manager agreement, in a similar way to permanent staff.

Sickness

If you are sick, please contact us straight away in the morning, as we may need to refill your booking for that day. If you are sick on a weekend booking, please ring the client immediately and ensure you ring us to let us know on Monday morning. There is always a member of staff in the Red Snapper office from 8.00am.

You may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay if you meet the relevant criteria. We reserve the right to terminate your booking due to sickness.

COVID-19

Whilst you are on assignment, the client’s Health & Safety Policy will outline health and safety measures relating to COVID-19 in the workplace.

By law, the client must ensure the following procedures are adhered to:

  • Identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus.
    Consider who could be at risk, how likely it is that someone could be exposed and act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn’t possible, control the risk.
  • We have listed some practical measures to help you. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect yourself and others from coronavirus.
  • Where possible you should keep people 2 metres apart. If this is not viable, keeping 1 metre apart with risk mitigation is acceptable.
  • Maintain personal hygiene and handwashing where possible.
  • Keeping your workspace clean and organised, reducing the potential for coronavirus to spread.
  • When indoors, wear face coverings over your mouth and nose where possible.

Public Health England report disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 which shows that some groups of people may be at more risk of being infected and/or experience a more adverse outcome if infected. You should consider this in your own risk assessment.

You can get up-to-date information about guidance and support on COVID-19 through the GOV.UK site.

You should contact us and the client as soon as possible, if you have been exposed or potentially exposed to COVID-19. You should also contact us if you have any concerns or queries relating to COVID-19 rules, regulations and adherance in the workplace.

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You will be able to find detailed information regarding your assignment as part of your Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) form, alongside any client specific information sent outside of this assignment pack.

As an agency worker, by law, we must provide you with information regarding details about pay, holiday entitlement and other benefits.

You can use our Key Information Calculator to work out your expected pay, holiday accrual, pension contribution and more. It will also give you a clear idea as to how any fees and deductions will affect your pay.

Download Here –

Key Information Calculator

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Your general rights as an agency worker are governed by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 and the Employment Agencies Act 1973.

We do not advise you to opt out of these regulations as you might be asked to do by other organisations.

Remaining protected by these regulations will not impact your employment status and should not be considered as a factor in assessing the treatment of your income under IR35.

As an agency worker, your basic rights, which Red Snapper will uphold, are as follows:

  • Written terms and conditions stating your expected rate of pay, the type of work your agency will try to find you, length of notice and other relevant details.
  • Pay for any work you have undertaken, even if your agency hasn’t been paid by the hiring company.
  • Written details of the job when you are offered a position, including who you will work for, the first day of work, how long they may want you to work and the amount of money you will earn.
  • The freedom to end an assignment without penalty.
  • The option of accepting a permanent job with a company where you worked as an agency worker. A fee may be payable by the hirer to the agency in some circumstances. You should not be charged a fee for this or suffer any form of penalty.
  • The freedom to register with other agencies.

As an agency, we cannot and will not:

  • Charge fees for finding you, or seeking to find you, work.
  • Make you use fee-paying services as a requirement for finding you work.
  • Deduct money for protective equipment or clothing, unless you have agreed to this in writing.
  • Disclose information about you to anyone without your consent, unless it is for one of the following legitimate reasons:
  • The purpose of finding you work.
  • Legal proceedings.
  • A professional body that you are a member of.
  • The Employment Agency Standards inspectorate.
  • HMRC, in certain circumstances.

Agency Workers Rights

These rights are enshrined in the Agency Workers Regulations 2010. An agency worker who is within the remit of AWR accrues rights relating to pay and working patterns if they work with the same employer for a 12-week period, which can include breaks for certain reasons.

Agency Workers

An agency worker is someone who is supplied by a temporary worker agency to work temporarily for and under the supervision and direction of a hirer. This definition includes individuals working on the agency PAYE scheme, through an umbrella or a personal service company.

Day One Entitlements

As the name suggests, these entitlements must be available to the agency worker on day one of the assignment. The entitlements relate to on-site facilities and access to existing vacancies.

The hirer must make collective on-site facilities available to its agency workers, such as canteens and crèches. It should be noted that agency workers only have equal rights to these facilities and any matters such as waiting lists also apply equally. Amenities involving a loan or contractual relationship such as season ticket loans or subsidised club membership are excluded from the entitlements, as they are considered to be associated with a long-term employment relationship.

The hirer is obliged to make all agency workers aware of existing vacancies at their organisation. This requires the worker to have the same access to the information as their permanently employed peers.

12 Week Entitlements

These entitlements are afforded to any agency worker after they have completed 12 weeks working in the same job. The following conditions apply when calculating the working week:

  • Any part of a week that is worked counts as a working week for the count (even if it’s only one day)
  • A change of agency does not cause a break in the 12-week count
  • The agency worker may take a break from the position for any of the following reasons and the 12-week count will not be broken
  • Any period of less than six weeks
  • Time off for public duty, such as jury service
  • Certified sick leave of 28 weeks or less
  • Statutory or contractual maternity, adoption or paternity leave

Once the 12-week qualifying period has been achieved, the agency worker is entitled to receive, at least, the same pay and working conditions as a peer within the hirer’s organisation. If a like-for-like employee or job role is not available to make a fair comparison, pay scales and benefits outlined in company manuals and collective agreements should be taken into consideration.

When considering parity with regards to pay and benefits, the regulations specify that pay is ‘any sums payable to a worker of the hirer in connection with the worker’s employment.’

This definition specifically includes:

  • Holiday pay
  • Shift allowances,
  • Overtime rates
  • Vouchers with a fixed monetary value
  • Allowances for unsociable hours
  • Bonuses that are directly attributable to the quality or quantity of work done by the agency worker

The regulations stipulate that these workers are not entitled to items of remuneration associated with the status of a long-term employee, so they specifically exclude:

  • Sick pay
  • Company pension schemes
  • Share options and other equity-based schemes
  • Loans
  • Expenses
  • Health / life insurance
  • Bonuses based on organisational or company performance
  • Claims for unfair dismissal
  • Redundancy pay
  • Maternity leave

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the agency to ensure that reasonable steps have been taken to achieve the ‘equal’ treatment of their agency workers. It is also the responsibility of the agency to ensure that the workers are informed of their qualification under the 12-week rule.

That said, the regulations do recognise the interconnected relationships that exist between the client, agency and third parties, such as master vendors and umbrellas. They will hold all parties accountable for any obstruction to the information flow that enables the agency to ensure equal terms are being offered to any agency worker exceeding the 12-week qualifying period. The hirer is, therefore, obliged to provide the agency with the full information required in a timely manner.

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The working time regulations 1998 are the rules that govern the time that workers are required to work.

If you work for us under a PAYE worker contract working time regulations, these regulations protect you from being asked to work more than 48 hours per week, but you can opt out if you wish to do so.

If your working pattern suggests you may be required to work more than 48 hours, please contact your Account Manager to discuss your options.

You are also protected by the Working Time Regulations if you work for an umbrella company as you would be working under a PAYE contract. The umbrella company would be responsible for administering these rules.

Where you work for your own personal service company, you need to ensure you are observant of these regulations in the administration of pay and time.

The working time regulations also mandate that PAYE workers must receive paid holidays. These rules drive the calculation of the holiday accrual system utilised for PAYE workers.

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The Red Snapper Group Health and Safety representative is Amber Lincoln. You will also be made aware of the H&S representative at our client site at the outset of your assignment.

Please ensure you follow each client’s Health & Safety Policy while you are on Assignment. We have listed some general guidelines to help you.

It’s very important to understand that you are responsible for:

  • Your own safety
  • The safety of others
  • Observing the safety rules at all times
  • Dressing safely for the work you do, including protective equipment where required
  • Behaving safely, such as not becoming involved with practical jokes
  • Following all rules relating to no smoking areas
  • Reporting any medical condition that could affect the safety of yourself or others
  • Ensuring you keep your work areas clear and tidy
  • Disposing of waste/scrap in the appropriate receptacles
  • Ensuring you only operate equipment you have been trained on and are authorised to use
  • Undertaking all duties as instructed and never deviating
  • Reporting any damage to equipment or hazards in the workplace to the correct person (normally the Supervisor or Manager of the client). Never attempt to repair defective equipment yourself
  • Reporting any accident or injury (however minor) at work to the first-aider and ensuring the details are entered into the accident book.

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 states that an employer must provide:

  • A safe workplace – including safe entry and exit
  • Safe equipment to work with
  • Work procedures and systems that are safe to use and cause no risk to health
  • Sufficient training to allow you to work competently and safely
  • Safe arrangements for using, handling, storing and moving things
  • Adequate facilities and arrangements for the welfare of employees
  • A healthy working environment

Watch out for signs – you must comply with these:

  • Yellow and Black triangles are WARNING signs which tell you to take care
  • Green Squares show SAFE conditions
  • Blue circles with white markings give you COMMANDS, so you must obey the instruction on them
  • Red Squares show where FIRE FIGHTING equipment is located
  • Red & White Circles with a bar across them and Black markings tell you what you MUST NOT do
  • Any other Notices displayed on the premises

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