Owing to the significant rise in the number of part-time jobs being offered by startups, leading businesses, and corporations, many of us in the domain are giving serious thought to the prospect of hiring part-time workers.
When trying to figure out whether the part-time job model would gain prominence in the coming days, there are a plethora of factors we need to take into account beyond the apparent compensation and contract benefits.
Part-Time Jobs: The Future of Work?
According to some statistics, in 2020, part-time workers accounted for around 17% of the total employed U.S. workforce. This number is only going to elevate to a whole new level, especially with the dynamic shift in the working culture and our perception towards jobs post the pandemic.
Today, with the concept of the gig economy becoming more and more pronounced, individuals aren't shying away from picking roles within their comfort zone and even stepping out of it to gain hands-on experience and develop relevant skills in any domain.
This can range from delivering products at doorsteps and selling stuff online to providing sales, marketing, or consulting support to startups and businesses.
With time, more and more capabilities and roles are going to take shape as startups continue emerging and disrupting unconventional market segments.
How Can Part-Time Jobs Add Value to a Business?
Here are some benefits outsourcing tasks to part-time workers can offer us.
1. Access to Experienced Talent
If we can't offer a full-time role in certain divisions at a company, we are always free to hire a part-time worker who is open to providing his expertise and services for the job at hand.
Providing part-time work also allows us to testify to the capabilities and skillset that an individual brings to the table prior to committing to a full-time role.
After all, a business could be hesitant to recruit a novice full-time but more open to hiring people part-time if they show genuine interest in learning the ropes or come with prior expertise.
For instance, prior experience as a part-time sales development representative for a business would give an individual an edge over others applying for the coveted position with no history in the sector.
2. Better Workload Management and Flexibility
We can use part-time workers wisely, reserving them for occasions when we anticipate we'll have the most work. Part-time workers, in contrast to regular employees, are not bound to a fixed timetable.
Part-time workers are an invaluable resource for many startups as they allow them to cover shifts that might otherwise go unstaffed. This could involve working on the weekend or at night. Managers can keep production high without overpaying for overtime with this flexible workforce.
3. Deliver Supreme Customer Service
We can plan for seasonal surges in business and hire extra help to keep up with the demand for our services without sacrificing quality.
In the retail and shipping industries, this gets exemplified by the seasonal hiring of extra workers during the holidays. Our businesses can meet the growing demand from the customers and keep our service levels high without having to add full-time staff.
Moreover, we can deliver a better customer support experience by leveraging the niche skills of part-time workers.
For instance, a sales representative with experience handling all sorts of customers - cool, angry, frustrated, or satisfied, develops brilliant people skills and enough confidence in handling any sort of customer interaction and boosts customer satisfaction levels.
Conclusion
Thinking about how part-time job opportunities would evolve some months down the line? What's the future of hiring someone in that sort of role? The future is now.
While looking for candidates for a part-time role, we need to look beyond the monetary aspect and chase real-world skills to make our more competent, resourceful, and ultimately profitable in the long run.