What This Article Covers
This article explains how standard temp agencies operate after emergency survival work. What gets documented. What triggers removal. How temp-to-permanent conversion actually works.
This is not about which agencies to use. This is about how the system tracks you once you are in it.
Where This Phase Starts
You have passed emergency survival. You are not doing daily pay labor halls anymore. You have applied to standard W-2 staffing agencies.
You completed their application. You passed initial screening. You have been assigned to a client worksite.
This is where documentation begins. This is where most people get removed.
How Standard Temp Agencies Actually Work
The agency is not your employer for loyalty purposes. The agency is a payroll processor. The client company controls your work.
The agency pays you. The client company supervises you. Both track you separately.
The agency tracks: attendance, drug tests, background check results, client complaints.
The client tracks: productivity, safety violations, behavior, supervisor reports.
Both systems flag you independently. Getting flagged by either one removes you from the assignment.
What Gets Tracked
Clock-in and clock-out times are digital. Apps track every minute. Late arrival gets documented automatically.
No-shows are reported immediately. One no-show without notice creates a flag in the agency system. Two no-shows often equals permanent removal from that agency.
Performance ratings come from client supervisors. Clients rate temps daily or weekly. Low ratings trigger removal before you know there is a problem.
Drug tests can happen randomly. Some clients test monthly. Some test after incidents. Failed tests blacklist you at the agency permanently.
Safety violations are recorded. Wearing a phone on the floor. Not wearing PPE. Ignoring equipment protocols. Violations accumulate fast.
Client complaints go to the agency instantly. Argument with supervisor. Refusal to follow instructions. Leaving work area without permission. One complaint can end your assignment same day.
Algorithmic Shadowbans: In 2026, many agencies use automated reliability scores. If the app flags you for a no-show or late arrival, the system may stop showing you new assignments automatically. Recruiters do not see your profile anymore. You are not officially fired, but you are “shadowbanned” from the platform.
What Gets You Removed
Missing a shift without calling two hours ahead. Immediate removal. No second chance.
Arriving late three times in two weeks. Flagged for unreliability. Agency stops sending you assignments.
Failing a random drug test. Permanent blacklist at that agency. Some agencies share data regionally.
Productivity below client standard. Warehouses track units per hour. Manufacturing tracks defect rates. Fall below the number and you are removed quietly.
Behavior incidents. Raised voice. Argument. Refusal. Client reports it. Agency removes you same day.
Background check failure at client level. You passed the agency check. The client runs a deeper check. Client rejects you. Assignment ends immediately.
Temp-to-Perm: What Converts and What Doesn’t
Conversion happens when the client company wants to hire you permanently. The agency does not control this decision. The client does.
What actually converts: Perfect attendance for 60-90 days. No call-outs. No late arrivals. Productivity at or above standard. No safety violations. No complaints.
What does not convert: Good attitude. Hard work without measurable results. Showing up but missing metrics. Being friendly with supervisors.
Clients convert temps to avoid paying agency markup. You cost them $25/hr through the agency. They can hire you direct for $18/hr. But only if you have zero red flags in your file.
Conversion timelines vary. Some clients convert after 60 days. Some after 90 days. Some never convert because their business model depends on temp churn.
If you have been at the same assignment for 90 days with no conversion discussion, conversion will not happen. You are in a churn site.
Exit Signals
You ask about permanent positions. Supervisor says “maybe later” with no timeline. This means no conversion path exists.
Other temps have been there 6 months, 12 months, or longer. None have converted. You will not convert either.
The site has constant temp turnover. New temps arrive weekly. Most leave within weeks. This is designed churn.
Agency tells you the client “does not convert temps to permanent.” Believe them. Exit immediately and use your experience to apply for direct-hire jobs elsewhere.
You have worked 90 days and your pay has not increased. Standard temps see small raises after 60-90 days at conversion-focused sites. No raise signals no investment.
Wrong Lane: Daily Pay Labor Halls
Daily pay labor halls are not standard temp agencies. PeopleReady, Labor Ready, Labormax operate differently.
You get paid daily but lose 3-10% to fees. You build no employment history. You develop no skills. Assignments change daily.
Daily pay is survival-only. Use it for 1-2 weeks maximum to get immediate cash, then exit into W-2 temp work.
Related: Day Labor: Survival Work Only
Bottom Line
Standard temp agencies track attendance, performance, drug tests, and behavior digitally. Flags accumulate. Removal happens without warning.
Temp-to-permanent conversion requires 60-90 days of perfect metrics. No call-outs. No violations. Productivity at standard. Client approval, not agency approval.
If conversion has not happened by day 90, it will not happen. Exit and apply for direct-hire jobs using your temp experience.
Getting removed from one agency for no-shows or failed drug tests can blacklist you regionally. Three no-shows across different agencies creates informal blacklist through recruiter networks.
Temp work is not a career. It is a 60-90 day bridge to documented employment and permanent placement.
Related: Temp Agency Applications: What Passes Filters
Apply to Multiple Agencies
Apply to at least three agencies within 48 hours. Do not rely on one agency. Multiple applications increase placement speed.
- Randstad (warehouse, manufacturing)
- Adecco (logistics, assembly)
- Manpower (manufacturing, trades)
- Spherion (office, light industrial)
If one agency’s client rejects your background check, you have backup options already in progress.