We have written many blogs over the years about what makes a good labour hire agency, of course not forgetting writing about why we’re a great labour hire agency to work with. But what we don’t often talk about in our industry is what you should be avoiding when you are researching which labour hire agency to use for your next project. With so many labour hire agencies popping up around Sydney with such a high demand for skilled workers, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed and easy to fall into the trap of working with the wrong company. Here’s a few of our tell tale signs to watch out for:
Buy cheap, buy twice
We’ve all heard the saying “you buy cheap you buy twice”. And although with labour hire you are not “buying” something, you are technically “buying” a service. It is natural to be motivated by price, we are all guilty of loving a bargain especially when costs are such a crucial part of the success of any project, but we’re here to warn you about cheap labour hire.
If a labour hire agency is able to offer you rates for their employees that significantly cheaper than their peers, this should definitely set off an alarm. If an agency is able to operate at a lower cost than their competitors that is great, however that’s also usually not the case. Lower rates can indicate that the workers are also receiving a lower rate; if a worker is being underpaid they are likely to:
- Not work very hard for you.
- Be underskilled or under-experienced for the role.
- Have little job satisfaction which is reflected in their work (see point one).
- Leave at the earliest opportunity for more money, leaving you high and dry.
At BriX Projects labour hire we know that we offer fair rates to our clients and that in turn we offer the best possible rates for our employees. Keeping our employees happy by paying them the best possible rates means that we have a high staff retention rate as well as a hardworking team that are dedicated to performing for our clients.
Lack of communication
Most labour hire companies, no matter how good they are, are fantastic at communication at the start, as they need to get your business and get you on board. They will move heaven and earth to get your business, but what happens when they have your business?
When a labour hire agency goes quiet after they have placed workers with you is when you need to worry. But why:
- Ensuring that you are happy with the standard of the staff provided; if they aren’t in touch with you to find out how you’re finding their team, it’s likely they don’t care.
- You’re trying to contact them but can’t seem to get in touch; this could either indicate that they don’t have the correct team (or correct sized team) in place to be there for their clients when they need them, or even worse now you’re making them money they don’t care.
- They have bitten off more than they can chew; often in companies who have grown too quickly or have taken on more than they can handle, then effective and efficient communication is the first thing to go. If they can’t handle communication efficiently, how can you be sure the rest of their business is operating effectively?
Reviews and recommendations
This seems like a really simple and obvious point and it is. If a company has bad reviews or a terrible reputation it is usually for a reason. You may be forgiven for thinking that maybe they didn’t do anything wrong and they seem okay. But any good labour hire agency should have the majority of positive reviews, and should have the ability to deal with negative reviews and resolve these with the clients or employees that left the negative feedback. Be wary if you come across a company that doesn’t have a glowing report from both their clients and their employees. A labour hire agency with great references from clients but terrible reviews from employees or vice versa is definitely something you should be avoiding.
If you are looking to work with a trusted, experienced labour hire agency in Sydney then look no further than BriX Projects. We offer competitive rates to both our clients and employees, our team share years of experience in the construction and labour hire industry and are on hand to help you every step of the way and we have glowing reviews from our team and our clients. Contact our team today on 1800 621 066 or send us an enquiry online and our team will be able to drive you towards success every time.