Full-time vs. Part-time

[1968]

I'm not sure this is the appropriate forum, but here goes anyway: How does your office define "full-time" employment? In your office, how many hours per week does an individual need to work before they are considered to be eligible for healthcare coverage or other benefits? Thanks!

[cocoisland58]

I'm not sure this is the appropriate forum, but here goes anyway: How does your office define "full-time" employment? In your office, how many hours per week does an individual need to work before they are considered to be eligible for healthcare coverage or other benefits? Thanks!

Five days and at least 32 hours. The way our office hours are set up no one gets more than 38 per week.

[1968]

Five days and at least 32 hours.

Thanks for the reply. Would someone working four eight-hour days qualify for full-time benefits in your office?

[cocoisland58]

Thanks for the reply. Would someone working four eight-hour days qualify for full-time benefits in your office?

That would be 32 hours, so yes. However someone working 40 hours would get more vacation time. And, someone working 32 hours may not qualify to get paid for a holiday unless it fell on their normal working day.
It's up to the employer what rules to put in place.

[Johns]

That would be 32 hours, so yes. However someone working 40 hours would get more vacation time. And, someone working 32 hours may not qualify to get paid for a holiday unless it fell on their normal working day.
It's up to the employer what rules to put in place.

Our part-timers get profit sharing and vacation just like any other employee. If they work 16 hours a week, they get 32 hours of vacation a year.

Why not?

They work just as hard as the full timers, and some have been with us for more than 15 years.

[HarryChiling]

Our part-timers get profit sharing and vacation just like any other employee. If they work 16 hours a week, they get 32 hours of vacation a year.

Why not?

I bite my lip on this one, because I am not a business owner, however I have seen practices operate two ways.

Irresponsible with their frame and lens buying and stingy on their employees and hours.

Smart frame and lens buying and good treatment of the employees.

I will also go on to tell you that the business that treats the staff well tends to have great staff, and the business that is consistently looking to save a buck on payroll ends up with high turn over and incompetant staff. You can operate a profitable business either way, but if you are going to have incompetant staff your management better be real savy and you better be real cut throat.

[1968]

I bite my lip on this one, because I am not a business owner, however I have seen practices operate two ways.

Irresponsible with their frame and lens buying and stingy on their employees and hours.

Smart frame and lens buying and good treatment of the employees.

I will also go on to tell you that the business that treats the staff well tends to have great staff, and the business that is consistently looking to save a buck on payroll ends up with high turn over and incompetant staff. You can operate a profitable business either way, but if you are going to have incompetant staff your management better be real savy and you better be real cut throat.

I am not certain what was asked or said that would cause you to bite your lip. In my opinion, it seems that all employers and employees eventually get what they deserve.

What I would add is this: An employee's determination of whether he or she is being treated fairly involves much more than whatever agreement for wages and benefits he or she has negotiated with his or her employer. An employee also judges whether he or she is being treated fairly relative to how other employees are being compensated for the time, skills, and value that they bring to the business. A well-compensated employee will not feel that he or she is being treated well if he or she perceives that a co-worker is receiving more compensation that he or she deserves. I think one step to implementing a good compensation policy involves recognizing these things.

An employer also offers certain benefits to entice employees to work a certain number of hours each week and/or to keep them working for them and not someone else. To that end, rate of pay, vacation/holiday/bonus pay, personal days, and medical/dental/vision benefits are some of those things that are in play. I have little to measure what benefits might be "generous", "fair", or "stingy" without knowing the experience of others... so I asked.