Typically, when people hear the term ‘Agency’ it often conjures negative connotations of a working environment. Some people might think that the work provided is a short-term position or ‘unskilled’ and the communication from recruiters is ‘cold’ or ‘unprofessional’. As an established Healthcare Recruitment Agency who puts ethics and its people at the forefront of what we do, we want to dispel the misconceptions around agency work, highlight the incredible benefits that being a part of an agency has to offer, as well as shine a spotlight on our hardworking team of recruiters. You’ll want to continue reading to find out more!

Firstly, let’s begin with some myth-busting, and take a look at four of the biggest and most common misconceptions that we hear surrounding agency work.

• "It’s easier and quicker to apply for jobs directly"
  
  On the contrary! Working with different services across the South West, at Dean Healthcare, we are often the first to hear about any new positions or last minute shifts. Our professional and friendly team also make it their utmost priority, not only to find a role that best suits you and your skillset, but also in services that you enjoy working for, taking into account your personal preferences and travel distances. We can often offer either temporary assignments, temporary-permanent opportunities or help you with a permanent role in your preferred places.

• "Agency shifts are always short and there are never enough working hours"
  
  While there are some shifts that might be shorter than the average working day, there is a huge variety in the types of available shifts, whether you prefer earlies, lates, nights or weekends only! We always take into account your preferred availability. Additionally, the flexibility that agency work provides means that to make a full rota, you could work in one, two or more services, depending on your preference.
  

• "Agency workers don’t receive the same benefits as other employees"
  
  This is perhaps the most common myth we hear. At Dean Healthcare, we treat everyone equally, including our agency staff. Not only are they entitled to the same holiday allowance, pension and rights as other employees, but they also receive ongoing in-depth support and training, a dedicated 24/7 on-call support team, frequent and informed communication around roles and company updates and a friendly team that gets to know each individual on a personal basis too.
  
  
  
• "Recruiters are only looking for people to work on a temporary basis"
  
  It is true that the Healthcare industry, which is fast-paced and ever-changing, does require people to work on a temporary basis. However because of the scale of the industry and variation in available roles, employees contracted for permanent work are just as in-demand and valued. Our enthusiastic team of recruiters are always looking for people to work on both a temporary and permanent basis and a lot of the time, this decision is reflected by an individual’s personal preference, rather than a recruiter. Regardless of the type of contract you work, both ‘temp’ and ‘perm’ employees are valued equally.

If you still think the term ‘agency’ is a bad word after all that myth-busting, let’s take a look at what our recruitment team have to say about agency work and the benefits it has to offer!

Manager - I love the flexible working. How easy it can be to work around family and other commitments.

Temp Consultant - There can be higher hourly rates than with permanent jobs, enhanced weekend pay and enhanced unsocial hours pay which a lot of people might not have considered.

Perm Consultant - I think a common misconception is that working for an agency means you’re not going to get regular work, when in fact most of our temp staff actually work on a full- time basis. I also think people believe they’ll be continuously hassled to work – that’s not the case either!

Misconceptions such as the ones explored in today’s blog likely appear because of a bad experience someone might have had with a Recruitment Agency. We hope the information we’ve provided today dispels these myths and showcases a lot of the exciting opportunities to be had within the Healthcare industry. If this has inspired you in any way, why not reach out to our team today for an informal discussion on all that we provide, including our latest positions. Call or email any one of our branches below.

Gloucester – 01452 507 452 - gloucester@deanhealthcare.co.uk

Bristol – 01173 250 282 - bristol@deanhealthcare.co.uk

Hereford – 01432 818811 - hereford@deanhealthcare.co.uk

Worcester – 01905 888 003 - worcester@deanhealthcare.co.uk