Employing part-time workers

Managing part-time workers

The way you manage your part-time workers should not differ from the way you manage full-time employees.

When you recruit staff, it is worthwhile considering whether the posts could be performed by part-time workers. This helps you attract a wider pool of talent from which to recruit, particularly women with children and older workers. If you are recruiting for a post that requires hard-to-find skills, considering part-time applicants may provide a solution.

You may also want to consider whether job-sharing could work in your business. This is where two, or more, people share the responsibility, pay and benefits of a full-time job.

Part-time work is just one kind of flexible working. There are other forms of working pattern that may suit your business needs:

• Term-workers tend to be parents who work during term time and take unpaid leave during school holidays.
• Zero-hours contracts allow employees to agree to be available for work as and when required without specifying the number of hours or times of work.
• Temporary workers, whether hired on fixed-term contracts or not, are particularly useful if your business has seasonal peaks and troughs.

All of these may work full-time or part-time hours, according to your needs. Use our interactive tool to investigate what kind of flexible working will best suit your employees and you.

Read a guide to changing patterns of work at the Acas website.

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