In order to achieve maximum productivity in your workplace, it will be necessary to have the appropriate work schedule for all your employees. There are a number of work schedules other than full-time employment which you can use to accomplish all the necessary work for any given timeframe.
Part-time employment is one of these other work schedules, as is seasonal employment. While these two are similar in that they are for limited durations of time, and are not full-time work, there are still some differences between being a part-time employee and a seasonal employee.
Part-time Staffing
Someone who works part-time is an individual who simply works less than a full-time employee does. The standard hourly week for a full-time employee is 40 hours, which has five 8-hour days.
Businesses will frequently hire employees on a part-time basis when there’s just not enough work to justify a full-time employee, but they still need extra help. A great many industries make frequent use of part-time staffing, for instance in sales and hospitality.
Seasonal Employment
Employees who work on a seasonal basis are part-time employees who join in during those times of the year when there’s an expectation of more business, for instance around holiday times.
A seasonal employee will generally only be hired for a few weeks at a time, or possibly for some number of months, such as during ski season. A tax company might require seasonal help when tax time rolls around during the springtime because then everyone in the country will need their taxes calculated and their forms submitted.
Even though seasonal employees might work eight hours a day, they are still considered part-time employees.
Similarities and Differences
There are several points which are similar for seasonal employees and part-time employees, those being the following:
- both will generally work during peak periods of demand
- also, both types will generally work no more than a few months each year
- and both types of employees will frequently work only part-time hours.
These types of employment are not the same…
Here are the main differences between seasonal employees and part-time employees:
- while it’s possible that both seasonal employees and part-time employees could transition into a full-time role, it generally happens more frequently for part-time employees
- part-time employees might work the entire year depending on demand, but seasonal employees are generally only hired for a specific season
- part-time staffing might happen if there’s a need to fill temporary workplace gaps by replacing employees who might be on leave or vacation, whereas seasonal employees constitute an actual addition to the workforce.
Benefits of Seasonal and Part-time Work to Employees
For some people, being a part-time employee is the ideal situation, because it meshes nicely with their lifestyle, and only requires a number of hours that sync well with their schedule.
If you’re a part-time employee, you’ll have lots more time to do other things that are important to you, for instance spending time with your family, working on hobbies, or perhaps continuing with your education.
There’s also a good deal of flexibility associated with part-time employment. For example, you might work only during the morning shift, and that leaves you time in the afternoon to carry out any other household chores you might have. If you work weekends, that will leave you completely free all through the week and you will have time to do virtually anything necessary.
If you really need the money, having a part-time job will allow you to work a second job to increase your income. Many people do hold multiple part-time jobs because they can’t find full-time employment, but they still need the extra income from two jobs.
Another benefit of working a part-time job is that it will give you the experience you need to hopefully transition into a full-time position at some point. In many cases, it’s much easier to find a part-time job than a full-time position nowadays, and this will allow you the opportunity to get your foot in the door so that you can eventually become a full-time employee.
Seasonal work has plenty of benefits, too
Seasonal work can be extremely helpful to some individuals like college students who are simply trying to earn some extra money for the holidays or to manage recurring expenses. Many other people also need extra money during the holidays to fund their holidays’ commitments, and to participate in all the fun events and activities normally staged at that time of year. Seasonal work can thus be a big benefit to many people who aren’t ready yet for full-time employment.
Benefits of Part-time Work to Employers
Part-time staffing doesn’t only benefit the employee, but it could be the perfect situation for an employer as well. It allows for a great deal of flexibility, in that you can bring on as many employees as you need temporarily to handle demand, and then send them back to the staffing agency when demand subsides.
Another aspect of hiring employees part-time is that you can reduce the risk of taking on employees who simply don’t work out well. Many times, you won’t find out any of the baggage or problems that an employee brings along with them until after they’ve been there a while. When you hire an individual on a part-time basis, it’s a simple matter to let them go, and seek a more qualified individual.
On the other hand, hiring part-time employees can work very well, and can actually function as an audition for a permanent position. When you have a temporary employee who is performing extremely well and meshes well with your other employees, having them on board as a part-time employee will help you evaluate their suitability for working at your company. This can be a great way of getting a trial run with new employees before actually hiring them full-time.
Probably the biggest benefit to an employer of hiring part-time employees is the time and money that can be saved. You can reduce payroll costs by having part-time employees on strategic posts, as opposed to a full-time worker.
When you collaborate with a staffing agency, you’ll be able to save a ton of money by having them do all the work to find qualified workers for you.