In an increasingly competitive market to attract the best talent businesses are having to adapt roles. With the increasing demand for a good work-life balance, employers that offer employees flexibility in the way they work will attract and retain the best people.
It is estimated that part-time workers make up approximately 25%-30% of the UK's workforce. In fact, more recently there has been a rise of part-time employees who are working part-time in more senior roles.
A myth around part-time workers is that they have fewer legal rights than full-time workers, this might have been true historically, but this is no longer the case. The Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatments) Regulations which was introduced in 2000, helped to protect part-time workers, so that generally they are entitled to receive the same rights as a full-time worker. Some of the differences include a part timer’s statutory holiday can be calculated on a pro rata basis as can any benefits they receive.
Demographics of part-time workers
Typically, they are most likely to be women with childcare commitments. However, they are also likely to be older workers who are not yet ready to fully retire but want to reduce their working hours. For example, in the UK there has been a rise in the number of grandparents taking on childcare duties for their grandchildren, leading to them wanting more flexibility in their employment such as reduced hours. Students aged 16 to 24 also make up a high number of those seeking part-time work.
What are the benefits to a business?
Offering part-time roles that have traditionally been associated with being full-time, opens it up to a new set of candidates. They are often experienced, highly qualified and ambitious workers who are attracted to the work life balance that a part-time role offers.
Rather than finding one person who can do it all, you can instead recruit for two part-time roles dividing the specialisms between two people.
Establish why you are recruiting for a new role
Is the role replacing an employee following a departure or has a new role been created due to growth? If a new role has been created, is there capacity for a full-time role, or could you benefit from someone’s expertise on a part-time basis?
If you are recruiting for an existing role, look at the workload of the previous employee and their responsibilities. Would this role benefit being adapted to suit the demands of the business, could this include giving another employee the chance to develop by giving them some of the role and then reducing the number of hours to create a part-time position?
Previously part-time by some employers has been associated with negative connotations, there has been a tendency to view part-time workers as less dependable, less focused and not as career motivated as their full-time counterparts. But the modern workforce is evolving, their priorities are changing, employers who offer the requirements of the modern employee, can tap in to a market of experienced and ambitious talent that are looking for the work-life balance that part-time roles can offer.
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