Facts you didn’t Know about a Part-Time Employee

A person may work fewer hours than what an employer or a company considers full-time. Such an individual is known as a part-time employee. The hours that a part-time employee works are determined by the employer or organization in question. There is no specific criterion or a specific amount of time laid down to dictate how part-time are hired—it all depends on the employer or the company’s standard working time policies. Even organizations such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) have no specific guidelines regarding the hour limit on a part-time worker contract.
Read this article to have a better understanding of what being a part-time employee entails.

Part-Time Employees Versus Working Schedule

As we’ve mentioned, part-time workers discharge their duties fewer hours than what an employer or business considers standard full-time. However, they have to comply with the standard work schedule set for them by HR. Employers clearly document in the employees’ handbook the amount of time that the organization in question considers part-time to avoid confusion.
It would be chaotic having different working schedules for different part-time employees. And for a very long time, employers in the US have always considered an employee who works for 40 hours as a full-time employee. Any individual who works fewer hours than the aforementioned time, make-up the part-time team. However, some organizations consider anybody working less than 35 hours a week a part-time employee—it all depends with the organization in question.
In most work environment setups, full-time employees are a better asset to an organization and enjoy superior working perks than part-time employees. The former group is eligible for paid time off, sick leave, paid vacation, and health insurance. Though, sometimes, an employer in may decide to allocate some pro-rated fixed benefits to part-time employees, but it happens rarely.

What are the Different Categories of Part-Time Employees?

Probably you may want to secure a part-time job and you don’t know where to start. Well, it’s imperative to understand some people secure part-time jobs by choice while others may have no other alternative. Imagine a scenario of a college student who wants to attend classes and work as well. They have to secure a part-time job (by choice) outside the school schedule.
Other people may have commitment issues and don’t want to work for one full-time employer. Such people secure several part-time jobs with different employers. Others may not want the comfort of working for one company and want the security of several jobs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are two categories of part-time workers, involuntary part-time workers who have to work due to economic reasons and those who do it for non-economic reasons.

Some economic reasons that may trigger an individual to seek part-time work include but are not limited to:

  • Unemployment
  • Inability to secure a full-time job
  • Businesses not doing so well
  • Declines in demands during certain seasons
    Non-economic reasons include:
  • Family obligations such as taking care of an elderly person or a child
  • Medical limitations
  • Commitment elsewhere like in school
  • Partial retirement
  • Have a job elsewhere—looking for extra income
  •  …and more

Why do Employers Hire Part-Time Employees?

Industries such as hospitality, retail, and medical sectors hire part-time employees all the time. The reason for doing so varies from one employer or company to another. A hospitality business may hire more workers during a season when tourists are at their peak. Others may be looking to complete a project fast. While others may seek to reinforce their full-time staff.

Pros of Hiring Part-Time Workers

  • Labor Cost Reduction- In most cases, part-time employees get no benefits, a scenario that helps to cut labor costs.
  • Work-Force Diversification- Hiring part-time employees provides a friendly recruitment platform for companies to hire qualified and experienced employees who can’t work full-time.
  • A Good Place to Vet Employees- Before an employer can commit to hiring an employee full-time, recruiting them part-time allows them to learn more about the worker and provides them with an opportunity to select competent individuals.
  • Training- Recruiting an employee part-time is a cost-effective way to train them before hiring them full-time.

Final Takeaways

Some job niche doesn’t always require full-time employees. Instead of hiring a full-time worker and assigning them several tasks some of which they are not conversant with, it would be beneficial to hire several part-time employees with specific skill-set. Be keen though to determine if that what your organization needs.