The Pros and Cons of Hiring Part-Time Employees

If your small business is seasonal or if there are times when you require additional employees, then you could consider hiring part time employees.

Part-time employees are a boon to the small business owner. They will impose a smaller burden on your overhead costs, as well as ensure that your customers get enough attention during peak business hours.

Here are some pros and cons of hiring part-time employees.

Pros

They Are Available to Handle Extra Workloads

You can set the work hours of your part time employees in such a way that they are available to handle the load of extra customers during peak times.

This will ensure that your customers get the attention that they deserve, even during peak business hours – and this can result in an increase in your business.

Part-time employees can also substitute in for regular employees who have gone on leave, are unwell or have had an accident and are recuperating.

They Could Bring in Specialized Skills

Very often you might need to hire part-time employees to bring in a specialized skill that is lacking in your current crop of employees.

This will enable your business to go to the next level without investing a substantial amount of money.

They Help Your Business Save Money

Part-time employees are much cheaper to hire than full-time employees. Often, you can save on salaries and other perks that you might have to offer to full-time employees.

If a particular department of your business requires help every once in a while, then it is better to hire a part-time employee rather than employ someone on a full-time basis.

If you hire a fulltime employee when only part-time help is needed, you will be wasting both money and time.

Cons

Problems Fitting In

Part-time employees may need to get accustomed to your style of working, which will take some time. They should also mesh well with your other employees, or it could result in confusion and frayed tempers.

Some initial time and effort will be needed to ensure that the part-time employees are properly trained, so that their skills and wavelength matches with that of your fulltime employees.

Business Consistency Problems

The problem with part-time employees is that, since they are not present all the time, they have to pick up the link from the previous day by asking around – and this could waste valuable time and could also create bottlenecks.

If there have been any last minute changes in their absence, then they will not be aware of the change, and that could result in confusion.

This could create a bad impression in front of your customers and hamper the quality of service that your business provides.

Confused Loyalty

Since your part-time employees could be juggling between 2 or 3 different jobs, they might not be as enthusiastic about working for your company as your fulltime employees are.

This could leave your part-time employees with less energy or inclination to work as hard as your other employees, leading to discontent among your entire staff.

Even though there are equal pros and cons in hiring part-time employees, you should carefully study each one. Only you can decide whether hiring part-time help will be helpful or harmful for your business model.

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