written by on 02/03/2015
Worked for a London council via Hays (the central London branch) one Friday in December 2014; the guy told me I'd have a chance to work the following week as well, but the council had apparently already decided they wouldn't need us floorwalkers for the second week. He also told me I needed to buy a hi-vis vest despite the council handing them out onsite.
Even though I jumped through the necessary hoops of texting a specific mobile number as I set off for work, arrived at work and left work, he never sent me a timesheet, and thus I've still not been paid nearly 3 months later; every time I call him he palms me off, saying that the council haven't paid them (surely my contract is with the agency and not the council, and thus it's none of my concern?), though even this story keeps changing.
I've now spoken to his manager in the hope of getting things moving at last, but frankly all I want is to be paid the £100 I earned for my one day of work (less tax and the inevitable umbrella company fee) and then never have any involvement with Hays ever again. They certainly never contacted me about permanent work (or even more contract work) after my interview, so what use are they to me?
I'd hoped they'd gotten better after 2005-6, when I last worked through them as a temp and they kept losing my bank details and P46 (so I got paid via cheque and charged emergency tax), and later wouldn't give me a statement of earnings to send to Student Loans so I could defer repayment (I had to fax three months' worth of weekly payslips instead). However, at least I got paid at all (and that initial two-week contract led to a permanent position), so my experience with them in 2014-15 has actually been far, far worse!