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Start a free trialProbably all of us would say we know what it means to work part time. But can you describe what a part-time worker actually is? (How many hours they work, what they’re legally entitled to etc.)
Because although part-time employment is commonplace, there’s no real definition of what it means to be one — other than that they’re someone who doesn’t work full time.
So if someone in your team requests to go part-time, or you decide you need to hire part-time workers, how can you be sure you get it right?
Our HR expert Alisa Mistry is here to answer all your questions. You’ll find everything you need to know about part-time workers and their employment rights in this guide.
According to GOV.UK, a part-time worker is:
“…someone who works fewer hours than a full time worker. There is no specific number of hours that makes someone full or part-time, but a full time worker will usually work 35 hours or more a week.”
If we refer to the statement above, it means that:
GOV.UK also states that:
“ part-time workers are protected from being treated less favourably than equivalent full time workers just because they’re part-time.”
This means that your part-time workers must be treated the same for:
Some benefits for part-time employment will be applied ‘pro rata’, which means in proportion to the hours they work. For example:
There are some situations when employers do not have to treat part-time workers in the same way as their full time employees. This is called ‘objective justification’ and you can find examples of it on GOV.UK.
If any part-time worker feels they are being treated unfairly, they can request a written statement of reasons from their employer. If the employee is not satisfied that the reasons are objectively justified, they may take their case to an employment tribunal.
All sorts of roles can be done by part-time workers. Here are some examples from a range of different industries:
Part-time product manager roles can be found in sectors like SaaS (software as a service) and FinTech (financial technology), and they typically have higher salaries. These roles may be advertised as part-time or flexible (through a job share, for example).
Part-time barista roles are great for meeting fluctuating demand. For example, some baristas may work the morning to lunch shift to cover the busiest period of the day.
Copywriting is another job that lends itself to part-time, especially at a small business level. Often there is a need for copywriting but not enough to warrant a full time position.
Part time sales assistants are common in the retail sector, especially during peak periods like Christmas and January. As well as being part-time workers, many may also be employed on fixed term contracts.
Hiring part-time workers may be a great option for your small business, but it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons so that any decision you make is an informed one.
Employing people full time provides consistency and predictability, and can encourage productivity. Part-time workers typically have fewer responsibilities but can often be more flexible — they also cost you less.
Working out pro-rata holiday entitlement can be a big headache. That’s why we’ve created a free online Holiday Entitlement Calculator – to make it quick and painless for you and your team. Our calculator can help you figure out pro-rata holiday as well as holiday pay, split by hour or month.
[.c-box-inline]Calculate holiday for part-time workers with our Holiday Entitlement Calculator[.c-box-inline]
We also have a free guide to time off management for small businesses, so if you want to quickly calculate holiday for your whole team, we can help there too!
“Before Charlie… taking holidays almost became another job on the to-do list. It’s now so seamless we don’t even have to think about it.”
Sophie Hanman, Customer Happiness Manager @ London Nootropics Read full case study
So now we’ve covered employment rights for part time workers, let’s look at the operational side of things. Because once you’ve ticked off what you need to do, it's how you do it that really makes the difference.
These top tips are from Alisa, one of our HR experts at Charlie, who has tons of experience managing part-time workers at small businesses.
Our number one tip for managing part-time workers is possibly the simplest, but also the most easily overlooked. Ensure you include your part-time employees in team events and meetings, so they don’t feel as though they’re forgotten or unimportant.
Never underestimate the importance of clear and regular communication. And don’t rely on only one form either — use multiple communication channels wherever you can so that important information is reiterated and everyone knows their schedule.
When you advertise part-time employment, make sure the job description is detailed but realistic — i.e. outline what they should expect to accomplish in fewer hours than their full time colleagues.
For example, by inviting your part-time workers to lead on certain projects.
Don’t think of your part-time workers as a way to simply ‘fill the gaps’ — really senior people may choose to work part-time and it’s essential to keep them fulfilled and motivated.
Offering more flexibility can really boost diversity and open up talent you might otherwise miss. It also helps to build trust and loyalty in a team.
With fewer working hours, it’s important to know what success on both sides looks like. Create and communicate clear and realistic goals and priorities to help avoid overload or confusion.
It’s easy for part-time workers to miss out on updates, or feel left out of decisions and big company moments. So take a moment schedule announcements when the majority of your team are working, and send updates and reminders to catch anyone who may have missed them the first time. Your part-time workers should feel just as connected to the company and their team as your full time team members.
According to a recent report by Timewise, part-time working trends have evolved, and the pandemic has changed the landscape of how people work. The report, however, shows that:
It’s also important to note that flexible hours have become more of an option, and some companies, like Charlie, operate on a flexible schedule basis where people own their time and their work rather than having clear structured hours in place.
GOV.UK states that: “All employees have the legal right to request flexible working.”
As part of this, employees can request a change to:
This is known as ‘making a statutory application’ and employers must deal with all requests in a ‘reasonable manner’. If you have a good business reason for doing so, you can then refuse or approve their application for moving to part-time.
Yes, part-time workers can move to full time, as long as your processes are fair and the individual in question agrees to it.
Good organisation and solid HR processes are vital for handling multiple part-time contracts. As a startup small business, you may not yet have those processes in place but we can help.
With Charlie, you can quickly and easily calculate half day working weeks, hourly working weeks, and pro rata leave for multiple employees. As the HR solution for startups and small businesses, Charlie automates and calculates all the tasks and admin around part-time workers — making it much easier to manage multiple contracts. Book a free demo to find out how it works.
Only you can decide what’s best for your business, but it’s always worth considering if a business need can be fulfilled through part-time. Not every job requires full time hours, but small businesses and startups can easily overlook this. Employing part-time workers may help you to meet demand without overstretching.
Your part time workers are entitled to the same benefits as your full time employees, some of which will be in proportion to the hours they work — aka ‘pro-rata’.
Statutory sick pay rules apply to full and part-time in the same way, so if they meet the eligibility criteria then your part-time workers are entitled to it.
You can request a change of hours for a part-time worker, providing you follow a fair process and give your employee reasonable notice. Including a flexible working clause in their employment contract makes it much easier to request future changes.
A part-time worker is allowed to legally have another job if there are no clauses in their existing contract that prevent them from doing so.
The main difference between a zero hours worker and a part-time worker is the guaranteed working hours.
As per their contract, part-time workers have set hours every week. Zero hours contracts, on the other hand, don't guarantee any hours — which is why they’re often used for ad-hoc work and are also referred to as ‘casual contracts’.
