These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications.
Q: What exactly is the definition of a part-time worker? Is it someone who works for less than 16 hours?
A: There is no longer a precise ‘number of hours’ definition. In law a full-time worker is one who ordinarily works the number of hours recognised in the organisation as being full time. A part-time worker is one who works less than that number of hours. For example let's say that I work 35 hours a week in your organisation. If pretty well everyone else does too, then I am a full-time worker. But if most people work 37 hours, I am a part-time worker.
And the lesson:
- Keep up to date with employment law. The 16-hour definition went out years ago.
- Try to ignore the terms ‘full’ and ‘part-time’. If you accept that people work various lengths of a working week but must not be treated differently, you will avoid unintentional discrimination and may see your way better to matching hours with work that has to be done.
View all our HR tips:
