Are you getting the most benefit from your part-time employees?
Many employers are so focused on putting out fires and taking care of their full-time staff members, they inadvertently overlook their part-time employees.
The trend is clear for America’s part-time employment situation.
The average American workweek is 34.5 hours a week. And that’s an improvement under the Trump Administration. But this stat indicates far more adults are working part-time than full-time.
Many reasons have had to do with seasonal factors and ObamaCare mandates, and there are companies that only need part-time employees.
Other companies hire temporary workers or part-time employees to test their abilities before committing to full-time salaries and benefits.
Certainly, the financial impact is having an impact, too.
Whatever your reason for hiring part-time workers, it’s important to make the most of your investment.
Here are five recommendations:
1. Analyze your needs and priorities for a position
Assess the responsibilities of a position. Be careful not to downsize a full-time job into part-time hours. It’s easy to be fooled.
An exiting full-time person might have mastered the work so well that it appears 40 hours aren’t needed to fulfill the job’s requirements. A new person usually has a learning curve.
You risk creating a morale issue. Your other employees will resent having to cover for a new employee.
2. Plan your strategy
Don’t waste time and money. Screening resumes for a part-time position takes just as much time as it does for a full-time situation.
Create an accurate job description and allow enough time to find the right applicant. The wrong part-time employee can create unnecessary headaches.
3. Be empathetic and respectful
You must treat part-time employees with the same respect as you do with your full-time team members. You’ll get a better return on your investment, if the part-timers feel important as a result of their contributions.
“The worst mistake a boss can make is not to say ‘well done’.”
-John Ashcroft
Understand that your part-time employees usually have other responsibilities. They might have young children at home. They might be in school or have other part-time work.
For them, it’s best to schedule them at regular days and times. However, if you must vary the days or hours, be certain your employees are aware of the job requirements.
4. Communicate well
Part-time workers are at a disadvantage because it’s harder for them to learn about changes in your companies. If feasible, have them attend employee meetings.
Keep them in the e-mail loop. This is also true for workers offsite or at home. For maximum performance, you’ll want them to feel as they belong to the team.
5. Have a policy to promote from within
Countless adults work part-time because they can’t find full-time employment. They’re continually prospecting for full-time work or for better part-time opportunities.
Don’t risk losing part-time talent unless you know for certain the persons only want to work part-time. So communicate often with them. Their situations might change, too.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are links to relevant articles:
9 Image-Building Steps that Will Attract the Best Workers — Seattle business-performance consultant Terry Corbell explains why it’s hard to get great workers and he gives you 9 quick fixes to attract the best workers.
Write Better Job Descriptions to Attract Best Talent – 16 Tips — To inspire the best candidates to apply for your opening, there are at least 16 strategies to incorporate in your job description.
HR Management: Think Like a Sales Pro to Recruit the Best Talent — One-size-fits-all approach to recruiting employees is not a strategy. You and your peers in human resources might be enamored with technology, but job candidates want more focus on the personal touch. That necessitates thinking like a sales professional.
HR — Avoid the 10 Most Common Background Screening Gaffes — In human resources, all background checks are not equal. It’s important to avoid the 10 most-common background-screening errors.
7 HR Insights to Quickly Improve Your Company — In this apparent age of ageism, many employers mistakenly prioritize by hiring Millennials. Their reasons might seem valid, but things aren’t always as they seem.
“The worst mistake a boss can make is not to say ‘well done’.”
-John Ashcroft
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