By Andy Low

Whether you are a small business or a larger company, the use of part-time employees can fulfil your manpower needs. Here are two reasons why you should consider the use of part-timers.

Reason one; Lower Costs

One of the most recognized benefits of using part-time employees is lower costs. Companies pay part-time employees an hourly rate and the company can schedule them for any number of hours the company needs. The company does not need to pay for a worker to sit around when there’s nothing for him to do, which is especially helpful for festive or special occasions.

Additionally, part-timer typically receives fewer or no benefits, depending on how many hours they work. This lack of benefits helps companies to save significantly when compared to the total compensation packages paid to full-time employees.

Reason two; Flexibility

A second key benefit of using part-timer is undeniable flexibility. A company has no obligation to schedule part-timers for 40 hours a week if the workload does not require it.

As such, managers only need to schedule when work is needed. Part-timers and the company alike view this flexibility of part-time scheduling as a big plus point. Many businesses use part-timers to fill evening and weekend hours not covered by full-time workers. This allows full-time employees a certain degree of work-life balance.

However, along with the flexibility part-timers are usually associated with two common problems

Problem 1; Less Committed

A big drawback of part-timers is that companies and employees usually perceive them as less committed relative to a full-time employee.

The common view is that part-timers are getting less from the company in terms of income and benefits, there’s often a perception that they don’t need the job as much and won’t be putting any effort it. This may not be true, in our line of work we have seen committed and responsible part-timers which some companies end up hiring them as a full-time employee.

Full-time employees rely on the regular income and benefits usually feel a deeper sense of attachment and responsibility to it.

Problem 2; Knowledge of the work

Part-timers especially those that work more temporarily or seasonally, may have less knowledge with the work involved because they work less and have less interaction with other colleagues.

This can affect the performance of both work and service render. A common complaint among customer-centric organizations is less successful sales and service level rendered with part-timers who are not familiar with the method of selling.

A simple yet effective solution is to provide pre-engagement training to help offset these issues.

In closing, we cannot discount the advantage of part-timers in this age of outsourcing culture. The key, of course, is to provide a suitable level of training while offering a fair level of compensation to attract and retain part-timers.