When outside specialists work at a client’s site in a German engineering project, they still belong to their own firm. The engineering-services company FERCHAU Automotive sets out the rules in a guide for the external contractors it engages. Instructions on tasks, working hours, overtime and absences do not come from the client. The contractor does not stand in for the client’s employees during illness or holiday. As a rule, he receives no client e-mail address and is not placed in the client’s organization chart. His badge names him as a supplier. The reason lies in the law on temporary agency work. A worker who is integrated into the client’s operation and follows its instructions can be treated by law as the client’s employee.