How to brief a labour hire agency so you get the right workers the first time

When a placement goes wrong, the cause is usually sitting in the original request. The worker was capable, but of a different job from the one that turned out to be waiting for them.

The pattern is consistent. A five-minute brief gets you a body. A fifteen-minute brief is far more likely to get you someone who is still there on Friday. Here is what we ask for, and why each item matters.

Why vague briefs cause no-shows and mismatches

A worker decides whether to accept a shift based on what we tell them. If we can only say "general warehouse work, early start", they fill in the gaps themselves. Picture what can follow: they arrive to find the work is hand-unloading shipping containers in summer, or the site is a long walk from the nearest bus stop, or the shift runs longer than they planned for.

Some of those workers push through the day and don't come back. Some don't make it to day one, because the address, the start time or the parking situation was unclear the night before. From the host's side that looks like an unreliable worker. Often it is an expectation that nobody set.

A mismatch works the same way. If we don't know the job involves constant lifting, we can't select for it. If we don't know you need someone comfortable on an RF scanner, we may send someone who has never held one.

The tasks, described honestly

Tell us what the person will physically do for most of the shift. "Pick and pack" covers everything from light cartons at a bench to walking the aisles all day with a trolley.

Useful detail includes:

• The main task and the secondary ones. Unloading, palletising, picking, packing, labelling, machine tending, cleaning down.
• The physical load. Typical weights, how repetitive, how much standing, bending or walking.
• The pace. Are there pick rates or unload targets? Say so now, so nobody discovers them at morning tea.
• Systems. Scanners, a warehouse management system, paperwork, any English reading or basic numeracy the job relies on.

Be honest about the hard parts. If the job is heavy, hot or monotonous, we would rather know.

Site conditions

Conditions change who is right for the job and what they need to bring. Tell us about:

• Temperature: chilled, frozen, or a tin shed that gets very hot in January
• Dust, noise, chemicals or strong odours
• Forklift and truck traffic near where people work on foot
• Work at height, in containers or in confined areas
• What facilities are on site: lunchroom, lockers, drinking water, toilets

This is also safety information. Safe Work Australia's guidance for labour hire arrangements expects both businesses to make sure the conditions of the workplace are monitored and that new hazards or changing risks are assessed and managed. We can't do our half of that if we have never been told what the site is like. That guidance reflects the model WHS laws; Victoria works under its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and WorkSafe Victoria's guidance, so check with your state regulator. We cover the shared duties in more detail in our article on host employer WHS duties.

Tickets and licences

Be specific about anything licensed. "Forklift" is not enough. In NSW, for example, the regulator lists two forklift classes of high risk work licence: forklift truck (LF) and order-picking forklift truck (LO). Someone holding one is not automatically covered for the other. Applicants must also be at least 18.

So tell us:

• The exact licence class needed, and the type of machine (counterbalance, reach, order picker)
• Whether the licence is needed all shift or for an occasional pallet move
• Any other tickets or checks your site requires
• Whether you want experience on your particular equipment, or just the licence

Safe Work Australia's guidance says the parties must make sure labour hire workers have the relevant qualifications, experience and necessary licence for the work. A good provider checks before sending someone, and that is what we aim to do. You should still sight the licence on day one. SafeWork NSW tells workers they must show their supervisor their licence before starting high risk work, so build that into your start-of-shift routine.

One trade-off to be upfront about: licensed and experienced operators cost more and are harder to find at short notice. If only one of four roles truly needs a ticket, say so.

Shift pattern and duration

Give us the real pattern, including the parts that might put people off:

• Start and finish times, and break lengths
• Days of the week, and whether weekends or nights are involved
• How long the booking is likely to run: two days, six weeks, ongoing
• Whether overtime is likely, and how much notice people get
• Whether hours could be cut short if volume drops

If the booking might extend, tell us that. If it definitely ends on a date, tell us that too. It also affects cost, which we break down in what a labour hire worker really costs.

PPE: who supplies what

Spell out what is required on your site and who is providing it. Safety boots and hi-vis are the usual baseline, but sites vary: gloves of a particular cut rating, hearing protection, safety glasses, freezer gear, hairnets and beard covers in food environments.

Safe Work Australia's guidance is that suitable PPE must be provided to labour hire workers, along with information, training and instruction on how to use, store and maintain it. In practice the two businesses agree who supplies which items. What causes trouble is leaving it unagreed, and a worker being turned away at the gate at 6am because nobody mentioned steel caps.

Supervision and induction

We need a name and a mobile number for the person the worker reports to. "Go to the office" is how a new starter can end up waiting in the car park with nobody to ask.

Tell us too:

• Who runs the site induction, and how long it takes
• Who gives task training, and whether there's a buddy for the first shift
• Who the worker tells if something is unsafe or they are hurt

WorkSafe Victoria's guidance is that the host should provide a site-specific induction when a worker starts a new role, and that the provider should assess the host's ability to deliver training and check with the worker that they received it. So expect us to ask, and we aim to follow up afterwards.

And if the job changes after the booking, call us before you move the person onto different tasks. The brief is what we matched and prepared them for.

Start-day logistics

These are small details, and they decide whether day one works:

• Exact address and which gate or entrance to use
• Where to park, or the nearest public transport and whether it runs at your start time
• What time to arrive for induction (often earlier than the shift start)
• What to bring: ID, licence, lunch, water, a padlock for a locker
• How timesheets are approved, and by whom

A brief you can copy

Send this with your next booking:

1. Number of workers, start date, expected duration
2. Tasks, physical demands and any targets
3. Site conditions and known hazards
4. Licences, tickets and experience required, per role
5. Shift times, days, breaks, likely overtime
6. PPE required and who supplies it
7. Supervisor name and mobile; who runs induction
8. Address, entrance, parking or transport, arrival time, what to bring

What we do with it

A proper brief lets us tell candidates the truth about the job, so the ones who say yes mean it. It also lets us tell you honestly when a request is unrealistic for the timeframe or rate, before Monday morning.

If you're planning ahead, our guides on building a peak-season workforce plan and scaling a warehouse team fast pick up from here. You can also see how we staff warehouse and distribution sites.

Ready to book? Send us your brief. We aim to reply within two business hours.