Part-time employees
Many smaller businesses choose to employ staff on a part-time basis. This often has the advantage of controlling costs when there is no need for a full-time worker and of adding flexibility to the running of the business.
It also means that a business is better able to adapt to changes in demand for its goods or services.
Given that some people would prefer to work part-time, a business that is looking to recruit will have access to a wider pool of candidates, often with good skills and experience.
Types of part-time working
Part-time work is defined as that which involves a contract or agreement for an employee to work fewer than the normal basic full-time hours.
Most part-time posts involve working for parts of the week or day; this may consist of mornings or afternoons, or two or three complete days a week.
There are other ways of managing part-time work. These include zero-hours contracts where employees are available for work whenever their services are needed and where there are no set hours or times of work; job-sharing where two people are allocated a full-time position between them; and term-time work where employees only work during the school term.
Rules governing part-time employment
Employers need to be aware that part-time employees have employment rights in the same way that full-time members of staff do. Should an employer treat a part-time employee unfairly, they can leave themselves open to a claim of indirect sexual discrimination. This is because more women tend to work part-time than men.
In general, an employer must not treat a part-time member of staff less favourably than a comparable full-time member of staff. In other words, no less favourably than a full-time employee who also works for the same employer and carries out the same sort of duties on a similar contract of employment.
Part-time employees must have the same rights and benefits as full-time employees in relation to the hours they are contracted to work.
Specifically, the law says that a part-time employee must be paid the same hourly rate as a full-time comparable employee. They must be paid the same hourly overtime rate as a full-time comparable employee, but only when they have completed more than the normal number of hours worked by a comparable full-time employee.
They must not be denied access to training because they only work part-time. They must be treated in the same way as a full-time employee when an employer is looking to promote staff or to make redundancies. They must have the same entitlement to annual leave, sick pay, maternity and parental leave on a pro rata basis as full-time colleagues. They must have an entitlement to such benefits as company pension schemes, share-option schemes, discounts and health insurance.
Where an employer treats a part-time worker less favourably than a full-time employee, they must show that it is necessary and objective. A company benefit, for instance, may prove to be disproportionately expensive for a part-time employee.
Related services
- Home
- The firm
- About us
- Contact us
- Our services
- Business
- Starting a business
- Employed or self employed?
- Buying a business
- Initial costs of starting in business
- Proving your credentials to investors
- The tax system for the self employed
- Business deductions
- Claiming expenses
- Choosing your accounting date
- Buying a franchise
- The construction industry
- Preparing your business plan
- Essential record keeping
- The national minimum wage and the national living wage
- Working from home
- Insuring your business
- Tax planning for businesses
- Limited companies
- The tax system for companies
- Forming a limited company
- Pros and cons of limited companies
- Buying a company 'off the shelf'
- Tax and the company car
- Company bonus or dividend?
- Tax saving strategies
- Interest and tax payments
- Companies Act 2006
- Companies House - forms you need to know about
- The law and directors' responsibilities
- Statutory records
- The company secretary
- Getting the company struck off
- Running your business
- Partnerships
- Your employees
- Selling your business
- Starting a business
- Personal
- Tax
- Spring Budget 2021
- Tax rates and allowances
- Key dates and deadlines
- Income tax
- Corporation tax
- Inheritance tax
- Capital gains tax
- Value added tax
- National insurance contributions
- Residential property letting
- Main capital allowances
- Patent box
- Business deductions
- Penalties for late returns
- Trusts and settlements
- Non domiciled individuals
- Green travel allowances
- Mileage allowances
- Vehicle benefits
- Vehicle duties
- Pension premiums
- EIS SEIS and VCT
- ISAs
- Stamp and property taxes
- Air passenger duty rates
- Landfill tax
- Charitable giving
- Annual tax on enveloped dwellings
- Diverted profits tax
- Tax credits
- State pension
- VAT
- An introduction to VAT
- Value added tax
- Bad debt relief
- Issuing VAT invoices
- Recovering VAT on staff expenses
- Fuel scale charges
- When to add VAT
- Deregistering from VAT
- Cash accounting scheme
- Flat rate scheme
- Annual accounting scheme
- VAT dos and don’ts
- VAT inspections
- How to survive the enforcement powers
- Group VAT registration
- VAT Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS)
- Reverse charge VAT for construction services
- PAYE and NI
- IR35
- Tax and business calendar
- Budgets and Statements archive
- Calculators
- Business news
- Content Overview
- Search this site
- Home
In the 11th and 12th centuries half a million pilgrims a year travelled on foot from all over Europe to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. In September 1992 Patrick Shanahan retraced their steps, recording his 500 mile journey in a series of photographs, some of which are reproduced on this website.