Agency workers

An agency worker is someone who works at your venue but is employed through an agency. When they work at your venue, the Tips Act treats them like one of your own workers. They must share in tips fairly and must not lose out just because they came through an agency.

1. Add them to the venue's team like anyone else.
2. Set Status to Agency worker, then fill in Agency name.
3. Give them the same role weight as everyone else in the same role.
4. Log their hours as normal.

Fairpool shares tips with agency workers using the same hours × role weight formula. They're labelled as agency workers on the allocation page and in the payroll CSV. If an agency worker has no agency name yet, their page reminds you to add one.

You can pay their share to them directly, or to their agency. Either way, pay it by the same pay-by date, with nothing taken off.

If you pay the agency, the agency must pass it on in full, with no deductions except tax and National Insurance, by the end of the month after the month the agency was paid.

• Agree with the agency in advance how tips will be paid.
• Keep a record of what you paid, to whom and when.

The payroll CSV has a Pay via column: Payroll for employees, or Agency: and the agency's name for agency workers, so whoever runs payroll knows where each share goes. It says Agency (name not recorded) until you add the name on the worker's page.

Agency workers must be able to see your tipping policy too, including anyone who starts at short notice. Give them the venue policy link, their own private link or a printed copy, or ask the agency to pass the venue policy link on. See Your tipping policy.

Treat questions from agency workers in exactly the same way as questions from your own staff.