Managing agency staff alongside your own team
Published 2026-10-22
In short
Agency staff work best when they are introduced, supervised and held to the same standards as your own team. Fair allocation of tasks keeps both groups motivated. Clear feedback to the agency, and asking for the same people again, improves the arrangement over time.
Introduce agency staff to the team
A short introduction at the start of the shift makes a large difference. Tell your team who is joining, what they will do and who they will work with, and introduce the agency worker by name.
People who feel welcome settle in faster and ask questions sooner. People left to find their own way make more mistakes and are less likely to come back.
- Names exchanged at the start
- The worker's role explained to the team
- A colleague to ask for help
One supervisor for everyone
Agency staff and your own team should report to the same supervisor on each shift. Two lines of instruction lead to confusion and to tasks falling between the gaps.
Make sure the supervisor knows the agency worker is expected, and has the booking details: the hours, the tasks and the contact at the agency.
Give the supervisor a simple way to contact the agency during the shift, in case a worker is late, unwell or unsure about a task. Problems handled during the shift are far easier than complaints raised a week later.
- One supervisor per shift
- Booking details shared with the supervisor
- One line of instruction
The same standards and checklists
Use the same checklists and standards for everyone. If your team follows a room checklist or a cleaning schedule, give it to the agency worker too.
Check the work in the same way. Agency staff should not be judged more harshly or more leniently than your own team; both lead to resentment.
- The same checklist for everyone
- Work checked in the same way
- Standards explained on the first shift
Fair allocation of tasks
It is tempting to give agency staff the least popular tasks. Done occasionally, that is understandable; done every time, it leads to poor work and workers who do not return.
Share tasks in a way your team would accept if roles were reversed. Fairness on the shift is noticed by everyone, not just the agency worker.
Rotate tasks over several shifts if you can. It spreads the less popular work fairly, and it also means more people on the site, regular and agency, know how to do each task.
- Unpopular tasks shared fairly
- Tasks matched to skills and experience
- The same breaks for everyone
Give feedback to the agency
Tell the agency what went well and what did not. Specific feedback, such as a worker who was punctual and thorough, or one who left tasks unfinished, helps the agency place the right people.
Raise problems quickly and calmly. Most issues can be fixed with a word to the agency before the next shift.
Keep a short note of each agency worker's shifts and how they went. When you next book, the note makes it easy to ask for the people who suited your site and to explain what you need.
- Specific feedback after the shift
- Problems raised quickly
- Good work recognised
Ask for the same worker again
When an agency worker does well, ask for them again. A returning worker knows the site, the team and the standards, and needs far less supervision.
Over time, regular agency staff become part of the team in all but name, which is good for everyone.
- Request workers who did well
- Less supervision for returning workers
- A stable mix of regular staff
Need staff for this?
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Questions
Should agency staff follow our checklists?
Yes. Give them the same checklists and standards as your own team, and check their work in the same way.
Who should supervise agency workers?
The same supervisor as the rest of the team on that shift, so there is one line of instruction.
How do I give feedback about an agency worker?
Tell the agency what went well and what did not, with specific examples, soon after the shift.
Can I ask for the same agency worker again?
Yes. Returning workers know your site and need less supervision.