How to Choose a Warehouse Labour Hire Company
Choosing the right warehouse labour hire company in Sydney makes the difference between workers who fit your site from the first shift and a revolving door of no-shows and mismatches. And once you’ve chosen, the quality of your brief decides how well they deliver.
This guide covers both: what to look for in a labour hire company, and how to brief them so you get the right workers first time.
Choosing a warehouse labour hire company
- How fast can you fill a shift, and how do you measure it? Ask for real numbers, not “we’re fast”.
- Do you have workers who live near my site? Local workers turn up more reliably on early starts.
- How do you screen workers? Interviews, reference checks, right-to-work checks and licence verification should all be standard.
- Can you give us a consistent pool? The same inducted workers each week beats new faces every shift.
- Which award and classifications do you pay under? It tells you whether workers are being paid correctly. See labour hire rates in Sydney.
- How do you invoice, and how do we check the hours? Look for clear timesheets you can match to the invoice.
- How do you handle no-shows and poor performers?
- How do you handle safety? They should want to understand your site and agree responsibilities. See labour hire WHS responsibilities.
Red flags
- Rates well below the market with no clear explanation
- Vague answers about award classifications or super
- No interest in your site, tasks or hazards
- Workers arriving without licences, PPE or basic briefing
- No clear way to check the hours on your invoice
Looking for a warehouse labour hire company that ticks every box? Call ASTAR on 1300 562 562 or send us your staffing request.
How to brief them
Give your agency these details when you order workers:
- Job title and main tasks, such as picking, packing, receiving, dispatch or forklift
- Equipment used, such as RF scanners, voice picking, pallet jacks or forklift type
- Licences and tickets required
- Experience level and any pick rates or KPIs
- Physical demands, such as lifting weights, standing or working at height
- Temperature, whether ambient, chilled or freezer
- Product type, such as heavy, bulky, fragile, food or high-value
- Site address and entry point, such as gate, dock or reception
- Start and finish times, including breaks
- How long you need them, from one shift to ongoing
- Parking and public transport, especially for early starts
- Who to report to, with a name and phone number
- PPE required, and what your site supplies
- Site rules, such as induction length, phone policies and security checks
The more honest your brief is about the work, the fewer workers drop out after day one.
Brief template
- Role: 4 × RF pickers
- Start: Monday 6:00am – 2:30pm, ongoing for 6 weeks
- Site: [Address], Gate 3, report to [Name] on [phone]
- Tasks: Each picking, ambient retail goods, up to 15kg
- Requirements: Warehouse experience preferred, steel caps and hi-vis (gloves supplied)
- Notes: 30-minute site induction on day one, no phones on the floor, on-site parking
After the first few shifts, give feedback on who performed well. A good agency uses it to build a reliable pool for your site. If you’re caught short on the day, see how to get last-minute warehouse staff in Sydney.
FAQs
What does a labour hire company do?
It recruits, screens, employs, pays and insures workers, and supplies them to your site for the hours you need. You pay an hourly charge rate for hours worked.
Are workers paid correctly?
Ask which award and classification each role is paid under, and whether the rate includes casual loading, super, payroll tax and workers compensation.
Should I use a local agency?
Local knowledge and workers who live near your site generally mean better reliability, faster fills and fewer no-shows.
Talk to ASTAR
ASTAR Recruitment has supplied warehouse and logistics workers to Sydney businesses since 2006, with an office in Smithfield and workers across Western and South-Western Sydney — including Smithfield, Wetherill Park, Eastern Creek, Blacktown and Liverpool. See all the business locations we service.
- 92% of shifts filled by the next day
- 3 hours median from your call to confirmed names
- Workers paid weekly, every Thursday
- Weekly invoicing with electronic timesheets