Temporary Work, Global Power, and the Urgency of Ethical Staffing.

One in seven UK workers now engages in some form of temporary or agency employment, a quiet but significant shift that’s reshaping power dynamics, responsibilities, and the very nature of risk in our labour market. Temporary Agency Work (TAW) sits intriguingly at the crossroads of convenience and controversy. It promises flexibility, yet frequently delivers insecurity.

In staffing, we often fixate on metrics: how many shifts we fill, how swiftly we deploy staff, and our client satisfaction scores. But the reality of temporary work is deeper and far more significant. As the insightful analysis in “Temporary Agency Work and Globalisation: Beyond Flexibility and Inequality” reveals, TAW isn’t simply logistical; it’s structural. It reflects global deregulation, altered state roles, and, worryingly, it often shifts the burden of responsibility directly onto workers.

We believe it’s time for a more honest conversation.

The Triangle of Disposability

At the core of agency work is a triangular relationship: the worker, the agency, and the client. The client oversees daily tasks, the agency holds the contracts, yet frequently, neither fully accepts accountability for the worker’s rights or protections.

This arrangement is hardly new, but contemporary conditions have intensified its impact. In the UK, temporary staff in sectors like security, facilities management, and cleaning are frequently positioned outside the robust protections of employment law. Workers may be directed into umbrella companies, declared self-employed, and excluded from pensions, sick pay, and predictable schedules.

The industry narrative always revolves around flexibility, but we must ask, flexibility for whom?

The Reality on the Ground

At EarnFlex, our daily operations within the security industry place us directly in the heart of these complex structures. We witness firsthand how some providers operate on razor-thin margins, using questionable practices to reduce costs and shift responsibility onto workers. We see the challenge clients face when verifying compliance and confirming fair worker treatment.

Rather than accepting these flawed conditions as inevitable, we chose a different path.

We designed a compliance-first infrastructure with features such as:

• Integrated BS7858-compliant vetting during onboarding
• Real-time verification of SIA licences
• Geofenced sign-ins with AI-based uniform checks with face recognition
• Full PAYE employment status for every worker
• Transparent, digital audit logs for every shift and contract

These measures are not merely marketing bullet points; they constitute the foundation of genuine accountability. It’s why we proudly operate under COP 119, the UKAS-accredited Code of Practice for Labour Provision.

But Technology Isn’t the Whole Story

Ethical staffing is fundamentally about more than software solutions. It requires a meaningful shift in how we perceive temporary work. Clients and primary contractors must cease viewing labour purely as an expendable cost and begin treating staffing as a collaborative, responsible partnership. Regulators must be empowered to enforce clear standards, transforming compliance from optional to mandatory.

Towards a New Social Contract

Temporary agency work isn’t inherently problematic. It provides genuine flexibility and valuable opportunities for many. The critical issue lies in how agencies and clients implement these practices.

We have a choice: prioritise opacity and short-term gain, or build transparent, trustworthy systems that genuinely protect workers. At EarnFlex, we believe in compliance, transparency, and accountability. We know from experience that temporary work doesn’t have to equal precarious work.

If we—clients, contractors, regulators, and agencies alike—don’t commit to rebuilding ethical standards from within, we risk perpetuating inequalities intensified by globalisation.

The good news? There’s still time to choose differently.

Let’s make the ethical choice, together.