Get 100% From Part-Time Employees
/In this tight job market, it can be difficult to find skilled candidates to help your business. Because of this, many small businesses are being forced to be creative by hiring part-time employees to meet their needs.
The hope is that because part-timers typically look for jobs that require fewer hours, you can often find a person with above-average skills for the position. This is especially true as many workers approaching retirement age exited the workforce during the pandemic, but are now exploring work alternatives due to recent inflation pressures. Some part-timers, however, must be guided initially to perform their jobs well. Here are some suggestions for setting up your part-time workers for success:
Know why you’re hiring part-time help. Decide exactly what you want the person to do, what hours you want the person to work, and whom he or she will report to at work. The position may have precise duties, or it may involve filling in when needed.
Communicate clearly. Explain the employee's job description and how they fit into the team. Confirm with your employee the work schedules and benefits they can expect. Discuss expectations of the role, and what they can expect from their manager. The more flexibility you can offer, the easier it will be to recruit somebody and the happier the new employee will be.
Integrate with your full-time staff. Explain why you’re hiring a part-time person to current staff. Make it clear what that person will and won’t be expected to do. Designate who will manage and assign work to the part-timer. And be creative in making this employee feel like part of your team. This can be done by scheduling meetings when the part-time employee is present, and by deliberately arranging any celebrations so the part-time person can participate.
Document processes and procedures. Success with part-time employees often depends on well-defined processes. This will make training easier, which means greater productivity in a shorter amount of time. It will also help identify problems and give them a plan to help improve performance.
Offer a retirement plan. Consider offering a retirement plan to help recruit and retain qualified part-time (and full-time!) employees. Starting in 2025, part-time workers can participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans after completing two years of service with at least 500 hours worked. This means you can begin recruiting part-time employees now with the promise of being able to take part in your company’s plan when they complete their two years of service.
A part-time employment strategy could provide great rewards for your business if you plan appropriately.