Department Restrictions on Hiring Back-Up Agency Employees

Staff Finders uses the services of an outside agency, Miles Employment Group, as a “back-up” to our roster of temporary employees.

UBC has restrictions on the hiring of back-up agency employees by departments. Staff Finders has the right to consider the back-up agency employee for its roster before an individual department because:

• it is an important part of Staff Finders’ process and livelihood
• Staff Finders has purposely negotiated terms with the back-up agency in order that the back-up agency’s employees ‘feed’ the Staff Finders roster after a specified period of time
• the contract is between the back-up agency and UBC: Staff Finders acts as an representative of UBC
• it maintains equity with current Staff Finders employees: Staff Finders employees must complete the probationary period (66 working days) before being allowed to apply for CUPE positions; if back-up temporary employees were allowed to apply for positions directly, it would undermine the restrictions set up for Staff Finders employees

Staff Finders discourages departments from hiring back-up agency employees because:

• the back-up agency employee is on his / her best behaviour while on his / her assignment through the agency; most back-up agency employees are keen to be hired at UBC and will show excellent performance in order to be attractive to the hiring department
• it has been Staff Finders experience that on occasion the back-up agency employee’s performance drops after the department hires them, and Staff Finders is then held responsible for the situation

Staff Finders strongly suggests that departments allow Staff Finders to interview and consider the back-up agency employee. Staff Finders must invite the back-up agency’s employee in for testing and an interview in a timely manner.

If Staff Finders finds the back-up agency employee to be a good candidate for UBC employment, Staff Finders will hire the back-up agency employee and will continue to place him / her with the department. This affords the department the opportunity to observe the back-up agency employee’s performance once she / he has the security of UBC employment. If issues arise, Staff Finders will deal with any necessary discipline.

If Staff Finders finds the back-up agency employee to be unsatisfactory, Staff Finders will advise the department of its decision. The department will then be given the option to replace the back-up agency employee or hire him / her directly. (Some candidates are not good candidates for the temporary pool but may prove to be good candidates for that particular position. It is not Staff Finders mandate to make hiring difficult for departments.)

If the department would like to continue pursuing the hire of the back-up agency employee without allowing Staff Finders to test and interview the back-up agency employee, Staff Finders will require a placement fee be paid (a finder’s fee, if you will).

More Information

Application restrictions are in place for both Staff Finders employees and back-up agency’s employees for a variety reasons. Departmental administrators wishing to discuss the reasoning behind any of these restrictions should contact Staff Finders directly.