Please find below the handbook for temporary and contract workers who are engaged by Contract Labour Solutions Ltd. The below information includes the conduct standards for all staff supplied by CLS, please ensure you read and understand all sections relevant to you and your engagement with CLS.
Read the policyThis document sets out the standards, expectations and obligations that apply to every worker placed on assignment through Contract Labour Solutions Ltd (“CLS”, “the Company”), across our three specialist sectors — Healthcare, Industrial & Manufacturing, and Construction & Civil Engineering.
It is arranged in four parts. Part 1 (the universal core) applies to you whatever your engagement type. Part 2 sets out the staged disciplinary and grievance procedures that apply to PAYE workers only. Part 3 sets out the engagement-specific terms — pay, tax, holiday, sick pay and related rights — for each of the four ways we engage workers. Part 4 contains related policies and useful contacts. Read Part 1 in full, then the Part 3 section that matches how you are engaged.
This document is a guide and works alongside your contract / terms of engagement, your Assignment Schedule and your Key Information Document (KID), which set out the binding terms for each assignment and take precedence where there is any difference. It does not, by itself, create or vary a contract.
Important — Know How You Are Engaged: How you are paid, taxed and what you are entitled to depends on your engagement type. If you are not sure whether you are engaged on a PAYE, CIS / self-employed, umbrella or limited-company basis, check your contract and KID or contact us before you start. Part 3 explains what applies to each.
We are delighted to have you on assignment with us and are committed to supporting you throughout your placement. CLS is a regulated employment business and employment agency. We place workers across three specialist sectors, each with its own regulatory framework and safety culture:
You are expected to read, understand and comply with all sections of Part 1, and with the Part 3 section relevant to your engagement and assignment. The standards in this document apply from the moment you arrive on site.
Whatever your engagement type, by accepting an assignment you agree to:
CLS engages workers in four different ways. Your engagement type determines your employment status, how you are paid and taxed, and what you are entitled to. The table below is a summary only — full detail is in Part 3 and in your contract and KID.
Regardless of engagement type, CLS will never charge you a fee for finding you work, and you are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Workers (PAYE and umbrella) also have day-one rights including the National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage, protection from unlawful deductions, and rest breaks and working-time limits under the Working Time Regulations 1998. Genuinely self-employed and limited-company contractors fall outside some of these protections — see Part 3.
Regulated Employment Business: As a business regulated under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, CLS will never charge you a fee to find work, will not withhold pay except for lawful deductions, and will give you written terms of engagement and written assignment details (role, rate, hours, location and likely duration) before each assignment. Our full position is in the Conduct Regulations Compliance Statement.
All workers must demonstrate their right to work in the United Kingdom before commencing any assignment. CLS is required by law (Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) to carry out and retain records of right-to-work checks for everyone it places, whatever their engagement type. We will check your status before you start, using the official GOV.UK online service, a manual document check, or a certified digital identity check as appropriate.
Providing false documents or information is a criminal offence and will result in immediate termination / removal from assignment and referral to the relevant authorities.
Time-Limited Leave to Remain: If your leave to remain in the UK is time-limited (for example a visa), you must inform CLS at least four weeks before it expires. Failure to do so may result in your assignment being suspended until your status is re-verified.
Student Visa Workers: Workers on student visas may only work the number of hours permitted by their visa during term time (commonly 20 hours per week in total, across all employers and assignments). Outside term time, provide CLS with a student timetable to remove the restriction. You must respect any such limit at all times.
CLS expects all workers to conduct themselves professionally at all times, on every assignment. You are expected to:
The following are examples of conduct that may lead to action — ranging, depending on seriousness and engagement type, from an informal conversation to formal disciplinary action (PAYE workers, Part 2) or removal from assignment and termination of engagement (all workers, Section 13):
The following examples are serious enough to justify immediate removal from assignment and termination of engagement without notice, whatever your engagement type:
Not an Exhaustive List: These lists are examples, not a complete list. Any behaviour that fundamentally undermines the trust and confidence placed in you, or the safety of others, may be treated as serious misconduct at CLS’s reasonable discretion.
CLS treats health and safety as an operational priority. All workers must comply with health and safety legislation and with the specific requirements of each work environment from the moment they arrive on site.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you are required to:
Where PPE is required for your role, it will be identified during your site induction. For PAYE, umbrella and self-employed (CIS) placements, the client has a legal duty to provide appropriate PPE at no cost to the worker. Limited-company contractors are responsible for providing PPE for their own assigned individual (see Section 20). You must wear or use PPE as instructed, report damaged or unsuitable PPE immediately, and never modify PPE or use it for unintended purposes.
Any accident, injury, near-miss or dangerous occurrence must be reported immediately to your on-site supervisor AND to CLS. The client’s accident book must be completed before you leave site. Certain accidents are reportable to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under RIDDOR 2013.
Healthcare settings carry distinct clinical and non-clinical risks. The following apply to all healthcare workers on assignment:
Work Within Your Competence: Healthcare workers must never undertake tasks beyond their stated competency, grade or scope of practice. If you are instructed to carry out a task you do not feel competent to perform safely, decline politely, escalate to the senior nurse or manager on duty, and notify CLS promptly.
Industrial and manufacturing environments present hazards including moving machinery, chemical substances, noise, manual handling and work at height. The following apply:
Construction and civils sites are among the highest-risk environments in any industry. Strict compliance with all site rules is mandatory and non-negotiable.
Site Inductions: Do not begin any work activity until you have been inducted and have signed the relevant induction record. If no induction is offered, contact your CLS consultant immediately — before starting work.
This section applies to all workers placed in healthcare and care settings — hospitals, care homes, community services and any environment involving adults at risk or children. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. On assignment, the host client runs the workplace and its safeguarding arrangements; you follow the host’s procedures and reporting routes first, while always being able to raise a concern with CLS and, where necessary, externally.
You do not need to be certain that abuse is occurring to raise a concern — a reasonable suspicion, or something that simply does not feel right, is enough. It is not your job to investigate; it is your job to recognise, record and report. Abuse can be physical, psychological or emotional, financial, sexual, discriminatory, organisational, domestic, or modern slavery, as well as neglect, acts of omission and self-neglect.
Raising a Safeguarding Concern: If a person is in immediate danger or a crime is in progress, call 999 first. Otherwise report through the host’s route, and also tell CLS’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, Vanessa Ogden — vanessa@cls.ltd or 01302 244 486 (Opt. 6) — particularly where the concern is serious or you are not satisfied it is being acted on. The protection for raising concerns in good faith applies. See the CLS Safeguarding Policy.
CLS places workers in safety-critical environments and takes the misuse of alcohol and drugs seriously. This section applies to all workers so far as relevant to their assignment, and is built on two principles that operate together: a firm safety and conduct line, and a supportive health approach for anyone willing to address a dependency.
Where you are taking medication that may affect your ability to work safely — particularly in a safety-critical or driving role — check the guidance, seek advice from your pharmacist or GP where appropriate, and inform CLS or your supervisor so that any necessary temporary adjustments can be made. Telling us in these circumstances is not a disciplinary matter; it allows safety to be managed sensibly.
Anyone who believes they have, or may be developing, a dependency on alcohol or drugs is encouraged to come forward and ask for help. If you do so voluntarily — before it results in misconduct, an incident or a failed test — CLS will treat it as a health matter, not a disciplinary one, and will discuss the support available (which may include time off to attend treatment, reasonable adjustments where practicable, and confidential handling). This protection applies to coming forward; it does not retrospectively excuse misconduct that has already occurred, and it does not apply where disclosure is made only once you are already facing testing or disciplinary action. A relapse during or after support is handled sensibly and on its facts.
Many clients operate their own drug and alcohol policies and testing regimes, particularly on construction and healthcare sites. Where you are placed on such a site, you must comply with the client’s policy and any testing it requires as a condition of being on site. CLS will inform you, before or at the start of an assignment, where it is aware a client operates testing. A worker who attends a site unfit, or who fails or refuses a test the client is entitled to require, may be removed by the client and will have their assignment ended.
Alcohol & Drugs — Serious Misconduct: Attending work or a client site while unfit through alcohol or illegal drugs (particularly in a safety-critical or driving role), the possession, use or supply of illegal drugs at work, or failing/unreasonably refusing a lawful test, will normally be treated as serious misconduct — resulting in immediate removal from site and termination of assignment. See the CLS Drugs and Alcohol Policy.
Any access granted to client IT systems (computers, tablets, phones, email, patient records, ERP or production systems) is for legitimate work purposes only. You must never share passwords or credentials; never access records beyond what your role requires; log out when not actively using systems; and never copy, remove or transmit data from client systems without authorisation.
The use of personal mobile phones during working hours is governed by the client’s policy, communicated at induction. In healthcare settings, mobile phones are generally prohibited in clinical areas. Comply with the client’s policy at all times.
You must not post, share or comment on social media about your assignment, the client, their staff, patients, residents, products or commercial activities — whether negatively or in any way that could identify the client without their written consent. Breaches of client confidentiality via social media may constitute serious misconduct and could expose you to personal legal liability.
Confidential information accessed during your assignment (commercial, operational, clinical or personal) must be kept strictly confidential, and this obligation continues after your assignment ends. CLS processes your personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, for managing your assignment, processing payment, meeting regulatory obligations and ensuring site safety; your details may be shared with clients and relevant third parties for those purposes. See the CLS Privacy and Data Protection Notice. Unauthorised disclosure may result in disciplinary action or removal from assignment, and civil or criminal proceedings against you personally.
Every client site sets its own rules through a site-specific induction. You must complete the induction, sign the induction record, and follow the site rules at all times. Do not begin any work activity until you have been inducted. Where a client specifies particular cards, tickets, training or PPE as a condition of access, you must meet that requirement before you start. On site, the client’s rules and (on construction sites) the Principal Contractor’s CDM arrangements take precedence on matters of site safety.
CLS is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion across all aspects of its business and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or victimisation — in our offices, on client sites, or in any setting connected with an assignment.
Under the Equality Act 2010 the protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Any direct or indirect discrimination, harassment or victimisation related to a protected characteristic will be treated as misconduct and may result in removal from assignment.
Harassment is unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment — in person, by telephone, in writing or online. This includes harassment by third parties such as a client’s staff, patients, residents or members of the public. If you experience or witness harassment or bullying of any kind, report it promptly to CLS (and to the client where appropriate) so it can be addressed. You will not be disadvantaged for raising a concern in good faith.
Good attendance is essential to the smooth running of every site and care team. If you are unable to attend work for any reason, you must:
Statutory Sick Pay is not paid to all engagement types — see Part 3. PAYE workers should follow the SSP notification steps in Section 17; umbrella workers report to CLS and the client as above and claim any sick pay through their umbrella employer; self-employed (CIS) and limited-company contractors are not entitled to SSP.
Persistent or Unreported Absence: Failure to report absence by the required deadline, or a pattern of persistent short-term absence, may result in action under Section 13 (and, for PAYE workers, the procedure in Part 2) and could lead to termination of your assignment. Where length of service is short, you may not receive any warnings before termination.
CLS would always rather know quickly if something is wrong. Raising a concern in good faith will never count against you. Use the right route for the type of concern:
Independent advice on employment rights is available from ACAS (www.acas.org.uk). Nothing in this document affects any legal rights you may have, including the right to raise certain matters with the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate or, for unlawful deductions, externally.
This section sets out how CLS deals with conduct, performance or suitability concerns for all workers, whatever their engagement type. It is the principal route for self-employed (CIS), umbrella and limited-company contractors, whose engagements are governed by their contract for services, umbrella employment or business-to-business terms respectively. For PAYE workers it operates alongside the staged disciplinary procedure in Part 2.
Where a concern about conduct, performance or suitability arises, CLS will look into it promptly and proportionately, and fairly in the circumstances. Where appropriate we will raise it with you and give you an opportunity to respond before deciding what to do. Depending on the seriousness, the outcome may range from an informal conversation, to additional support or instruction, to removal from the assignment and a decision not to offer further assignments.
CLS may remove you from an assignment, and end or decline to offer further assignments, in line with the termination provisions of your contract. Serious misconduct of the kind described in Section 4 (for example violence, theft, attending unfit through drugs or alcohol, a serious safety or confidentiality breach, or falsification of documents) may result in immediate removal from assignment and termination of engagement without notice. CLS may suspend or stand a worker down from an assignment while a serious matter is looked into.
A client may request the removal of a worker from their site. Where this occurs, CLS will consider whether an alternative assignment is available and appropriate, will treat the request fairly, and will give you an explanation of the reasons given.
Why PAYE Workers Have a Separate Procedure: The staged disciplinary and grievance procedures in Part 2 apply to PAYE workers because of their employment status. Self-employed (CIS) and limited-company contractors are engaged under a contract for services / business-to-business contract and are not subject to an employer’s disciplinary process; umbrella workers’ employment-law procedures sit with their umbrella employer. For all of these, conduct and suitability are managed through this Section 13 and the relevant contract.
Either party may end an engagement or assignment in accordance with the notice provisions of your contract / terms of engagement and Assignment Schedule. For PAYE workers, the engagement with CLS (as employment business) may be ended by not less than one week’s written notice; during any notice period CLS is under no obligation to offer work, and where you are not on an active confirmed assignment no remuneration is payable for that period. CLS may always end an engagement with immediate effect and without notice for gross misconduct or other repudiatory conduct. Termination of an individual assignment does not, by itself, terminate your overall terms of engagement.
On your final day, return all client and CLS property — access cards, uniforms, returnable PPE, IT equipment and any other materials issued to you. Failure to return property may result in a lawful deduction from final pay (where permitted by your engagement type) or legal action.
CLS will provide factual references on request, confirming dates of assignment, job title and hours worked. Additional information will not be disclosed without your written consent.
This Part applies to PAYE workers only. Self-employed (CIS), umbrella and limited-company contractors are not subject to this procedure — their conduct and suitability are managed under Section 13 and their contract. These procedures do not form part of any contract and may be varied from time to time.
Where a concern arises, CLS will investigate promptly and fairly before taking any formal action. You will be informed in writing of the concern and invited to a meeting to discuss it. You have the right to be accompanied at any formal meeting by a work colleague or trade union representative, and the outcome will be confirmed in writing. The procedure operates across the following stages; not every case begins at Stage 1 — the starting point depends on the seriousness of the concern.
Stage 1 — Informal discussion
Where a concern is minor and has not previously been raised, a consultant will address it through an informal discussion. No formal record is placed on file. If the matter is not resolved or recurs, the formal procedure applies.
Stage 2 — First written warning
Where informal discussion has not produced the required improvement, or the matter warrants a formal response, a disciplinary meeting is arranged. If upheld, a First Written Warning is issued, setting out the improvement required and the consequences of further misconduct. Normally active for six months.
Stage 3 — Final written warning
Where a First Written Warning is active and a further concern arises, or the concern is serious enough to warrant it, a Final Written Warning is issued following a formal meeting, making clear that further misconduct or failure to improve may result in termination. Normally active for twelve months.
Stage 4 — Dismissal
Where a Final Written Warning is active and a further concern arises, or the nature of the misconduct makes a lesser sanction inappropriate, termination of assignment is considered following a formal meeting. The outcome is confirmed in writing and you retain the right of appeal.
Stage 5 — Gross misconduct / summary dismissal
Where gross misconduct is alleged, CLS may suspend you pending investigation. If established following investigation and a formal hearing, your assignment may be terminated with immediate effect and without notice. Examples of gross misconduct are in Section 4.
You have the right to appeal against any formal disciplinary outcome, including dismissal. Submit your grounds in writing to Stewart Olsen at compliance@cls.ltd within five working days of receiving the written outcome. An appeal meeting will be arranged, you retain the right to be accompanied, and the appeal decision is final and confirmed in writing.
CLS aims to ensure all workers have a clear and fair procedure for resolving grievances, handled promptly, fairly and consistently, with respect for confidentiality.
Stage 1 — Informal discussion
Most grievances can be resolved quickly and informally. As a first step, raise the matter directly with your CLS consultant.
Stage 2 — Formal grievance
If it cannot be resolved informally, submit your grievance in writing to Stewart Olsen at compliance@cls.ltd, setting out your concern and any supporting information. A formal meeting is arranged within a reasonable timescale; you have the right to be accompanied.
Stage 3 — Investigation & outcome
CLS investigates and responds in writing with a decision, normally within five working days. If more time is needed you will be told and given an estimated date.
Stage 4 — Appeal
If you are not satisfied, you may appeal in writing to a more senior manager. An appeal meeting is arranged and the decision reached is final; you retain the right to be accompanied.
Read the section that matches how you are engaged
As a PAYE worker you are engaged as a worker (not an employee of CLS or the client). You are entitled to the statutory rights below from day one of your assignment, and CLS operates your payroll through PAYE.
With effect from 6 April 2026, SSP is payable from the first day of incapacity (the previous three waiting days have been abolished) and the Lower Earnings Limit has been removed, so PAYE workers are entitled regardless of earnings level. SSP is paid at the lower of the statutory flat rate (£123.25 per week from April 2026) or 80% of normal weekly earnings, averaged over the preceding eight-week period, subject to having commenced an assignment and not having exhausted the 28-week entitlement. To protect your entitlement, notify CLS and the client supervisor by telephone no later than two hours before your shift on the first day of absence, keep CLS updated daily, provide a self-certification (SC2) for absences up to seven calendar days, and a GP fit note for absences of eight or more. SSP is paid via the normal weekly BACS run; CLS does not operate an enhanced sick pay scheme and SSP is only payable for days you were contracted to work.
If you are engaged under a contract for services as a self-employed contractor, you are an independent contractor — not a worker or employee of CLS or the client. You must be registered as self-employed with HMRC and are responsible for managing your own tax affairs. This section, with Part 1 and your contract for services, KID and Assignment Schedule, governs your engagement. The staged disciplinary procedure in Part 2 does not apply to you; conduct and suitability are managed under Section 13 and your contract.
Your Tax Is Your Responsibility: CLS relies on your confirmation that you are genuinely self-employed and accepts no liability should HMRC determine otherwise. You are responsible for declaring all self-employed income to HMRC and paying any applicable tax and National Insurance. Where CIS deductions are made, these are credited against your Self Assessment when you file. Consult your accountant for advice on your tax position.
If you work through an umbrella company, the umbrella company is your employer and is responsible for your PAYE, National Insurance, pension and all other employment obligations. CLS is the employment business that sources assignments and introduces you to hirers; CLS is not your employer and does not pay you directly. These terms do not replace your separate contract of employment with your umbrella company.
Check Your Umbrella’s Deductions: CLS is not responsible for any deductions made by the umbrella company from your pay. Always obtain a full breakdown of deductions and your expected net pay from your umbrella company before accepting an assignment, and check that the umbrella is a reputable, compliant provider.
If you provide services through your own limited company (a personal service company, “PSC”), your engagement is a business-to-business contract between CLS and your company. Neither your company nor the individual performing the work is an employee or worker of CLS or the client. The staged disciplinary procedure in Part 2 does not apply; conduct and suitability are managed under Section 13 and your business-to-business contract.
This document is read alongside the policies below, which contain the fuller detail on specific topics. They are referenced here rather than reproduced in full; the most current version of each is available from CLS on request.
Version & Status: CLS Worker Conduct Standards v1.0 — June 2026. This document replaces the Temporary Worker Handbook v1.5. It is provided as a guide and may be updated periodically; the most current version is always available from www.cls.ltd. It is read alongside, and does not vary, your contract / terms of engagement, which prevail.
Contract Labour Solutions Ltd | Apex Office Space, 1 Water Vole Way, Doncaster, DN4 5JP | Registered in England & Wales | Company No. 09201504
Tel: 01302 244 486 | info@cls.ltd | www.cls.ltd
