inlening

Inlening refers to a form of temporary staffing in which a company borrows workers from another employer to perform work at the client's site for a limited period. The workers are employed by the supplying employer, which handles payroll, taxes, and employment rights, while the client provides daily supervision and assigns tasks. This arrangement allows organizations to scale labor forces quickly, access specialized skills, or cover short-term peaks in demand without hiring permanent staff.

The legal and regulatory framework for inlening varies by country but generally falls under national employment law. It is commonly subject to general rules on equal treatment, safety, working conditions, and anti-discrimination. In many sectors, collective labor agreements may set additional terms such as wage levels, allowances, and duration of assignments. Some jurisdictions impose limits on how long workers can be supplied to a single client or require equal pay for equivalent work performed on site.

Benefits of inlening include flexibility, faster onboarding, and access to a broader pool of expertise. Risks include potential job insecurity for workers, possible confusion over responsibility for terms and conditions, and compliance burdens for both the supplying employer and the client.

Related concepts include temporary staffing, outsourcing, detachering, and payrolling. Inlening is distinguished from direct hiring or permanent transfers and from outsourcing the entire function. Note: the term and its regulation are especially prominent in the Dutch-speaking labor market, where inlening and its regulatory terms are widely used.