In der Theorie gibt der Werkvertrag einem bestellenden Unternehmen alles, was es braucht, um besondere Expertise einzukaufen, wenn diese gebraucht wird. Darüber hinaus deckt das Unternehmen Engpässe in der Personalplanung ab, indem es weniger wichtige Aufgaben an einen Auftragnehmer überträgt. Außerdem bearbeitet es Auftragsspitzen, indem es durch Werkverträge die vorhandenen Kapazitäten kurzfristig erweitert. Schlussendlich bietet der Werkvertrag dem Bestellunternehmen die Chance, sich auf ein Kerngeschäft zu konzentrieren und andere Teile der Arbeit anderen zu überlassen, die diese Teile besser und günstiger erledigen können.
How does a legally binding work contract function in theory and practice?
While the theory is still valid today, the practice has developed beyond this. Contract labour companies are also known as recruiter utilised. This means that if a company needs more staff, it outsources less important areas to a subcontractor. The subcontractor now has its own staff and takes on the tasks so that the ordering company no longer needs to hire its own labour.
Darüber hinaus kann der Werkvertrag auch als eine Art vorgeschaltete Probezeit gelten. Die Arbeitskräfte des Werkvertragsunternehmens, die ihre Arbeitsleistung zwar unabhängig, aber am Ort des Bestellunternehmens erbringen, beobachtet das Unternehmen genau. Zeigt ein Beschäftigter gute Leistungen, übernimmt der Stammbetrieb ihn. Genau das ist auch so vorgesehen – und für alle eine gute Sache.
Mit der steigenden Nutzung von Werkvertragsunternehmen erscheinen deren Mitarbeiter oft aber auch als eine faktische Randbelegschaft. Das heißt, sie treten im Betrieb des Bestellers auf und erledigen dort Arbeiten, die vorher der Besteller selbst ausgeführt hat. Das geschieht über einen langen Zeitraum hinweg, sodass der Bestellbetrieb sich die Stammbelegschaft und die damit verbundenen Kosten in diesem Bereich spart. Da das Werkvertragsunternehmen oftmals günstiger arbeitet, bestellen Unternehmen es immer wieder, anstatt die Kapazitäten des Hauptunternehmens in diesem Bereich auszubauen. Das heißt, faktisch ersetzt das Werkvertragsunternehmen einen Teil der Stammbelegschaft.
Auch diese Entwicklung lässt sich positiv bewerten. Hier spart der Hauptbetrieb Kosten, was es ihm gestattet, konkurrenzfähig zu bleiben. Zugleich erledigt ein Betrieb, der sich in diesem Bereich etabliert hat, Arbeiten, die oftmals ungelernte Arbeitskräfte ausführen. Das heißt, dieser kann sich daraufhin ausrichten und flexibel auf den Bedarf reagieren, indem er die Arbeitskräfte von Auftraggeber zu Auftraggeber bewegt und so immer dem Bedarf folgt.
What savings do work contracts offer for companies?
The savings for the subcontractor result from several factors. Firstly, these are simple tasks that can be carried out quickly. This makes it easy to find suitable labour. As the labour contracting company only processes orders and works independently, it can distribute its resources flexibly between different clients. This means there is no costly idle time and it can still react quickly to increasing demand.
In addition, the subcontractor has the relevant experience when it comes to rapidly increasing or, if necessary, reducing capacity. This means that it has exactly the right skills at hand when it comes to increasing or reducing personnel.
How can salaries and costs be reduced through work contracts?
The salaries for the simple jobs that need to be done are also very low. In this case, the more qualified workers are not held back by very simple tasks. This would be the case if the core workforce had to take on all the tasks. Instead, a capacity is built up specifically for carrying out the simple tasks, which is then paid correspondingly low wages.
The ordering company also saves money because it does not have to keep any replacement staff on standby. Because labour contractors step in when needed, companies can limit their personnel to what they need for normal operations. In addition, there are no costs incurred for management. Because entire areas of responsibility are transferred and contractors work independently, the ordering company saves on expensive management staff.
The costs associated with the recruitment of new employees and their dismissal are also eliminated. This includes the process of searching for and selecting the right candidates, their training period and then the costs incurred for the processing and termination of employment relationships. This also includes legal costs if dismissed employees wish to sue.
Why are more and more companies using work contracts?
Flexibility, efficiency, lower costs and simpler management - these are all clear arguments in favour of using contracts for work and labour and contractors. Accordingly, the extent to which they are used is increasing, as are the areas in which they are utilised.
This intensive utilisation means that the contract for work and services is becoming more and more widespread in its application and that ordering companies are also increasingly working towards transferring more and more areas to another company. Instead of being able to do everything on their own, companies want to work together as a whole. Where exactly the attractiveness of the offers lies varies from sector to sector and company to company. Costs are almost always at least partially involved. It is simply cheaper to hire unskilled labour through a contract manufacturing company to carry out simple tasks as a service.
At the other end of the spectrum are demanding projects carried out by experts. Here, the focus is not on low prices, but on buying in expertise at a good rate. While this is more expensive than employing a skilled worker to apply the expertise, it is cheaper overall. The purchased expert is only paid for the preparation, while the skilled worker as a permanent employee always expects a wage, even if his expertise is not currently required.
Then there is efficiency. It is cheaper to concentrate on your own core business and thus make a profit. This profit can then be used to commission a company that specialises in precisely this type of work. This means that the company placing the order does not have to be a jack of all trades and does not have to have a large management team to keep all sub-areas under control.
By focussing on a core business with a core workforce that is sufficient for day-to-day operations, expensive idle time is avoided. This makes personnel planning much easier and still allows us to react flexibly to workloads.
Conclusion
The contract for work and labour has become an integral part of the economy. It simply offers too many advantages for too many market participants and on too many levels. As a result, the labour market is also reacting positively to it, with it being used more and more by different companies in different sectors.
There are many opportunities here for the workers concerned. They can find a way into the labour market. They can gain experience and, depending on the contract work company or working as a freelancer, expand their qualifications.
Employment relationships can be organised more flexibly. This ranges from freelancers who are free to decide on their own working hours to the personnel office of a labour contracting company, which takes into account the life models of applicants with a small workforce.
Digitalisation has given a further boost to the contract for work. This means that projects in specialised areas can be processed completely independently of location. This also allows freelancers and contractors to be commissioned by any customer anywhere in the world.
Work contracts can be used to find new labour. This primarily includes women and older employees as well as young newcomers who do not yet have any experience.
Contracts for work with skilled workers from Eastern Europe
Are you looking for personnel for a specific task in your company? With our company and our partners, we can advise you in the area of labour contracts or service contracts from Poland or Eastern Europe.
We take care of accommodation and logistics, legal matters and outsourcing or production in Poland or Eastern Europe. If required, we provide tools and machinery. We draw up a contract for work and labour together with you.
As a personnel service provider, we have specialised in all types of recruitment from Eastern Europe specialised. In addition to the employee leasing from Eastern Europe, we also organise contracts for work from Eastern Europe. We support you in all areas whether Production, Craft, Construction, Industrial assembly, IT sectors - with Staff from Poland and Eastern Europe as part of contracts for work and labour.
