Managing Employees with More than One Job
According to a NY Times article, part-time work has been on the rise for the past few years. There are a reported 5.8 million fewer workers working full time than there were in 2008, and an increase of 2.8 million working part time. The rise of part-time work hasn’t been received well, but here we are. Part time employees often have more than one job, and since part-time work is and always will be a factor in employment, it is important for companies to know how to manage employees with more than one job.
Best of Both Worlds
Monday through Wednesday is spent typing and designing, and the rest of the week is spent in different areas of the service industry. When Monday comes, we’re excited to get back to the office. When Wednesday comes, we’re excited to be out of the office. When Thursday comes, we’re excited to see a whole new set of work friends and make some cash. Each job gets a fresh face and positive attitude, and our CMO likes it that way. In fact, she prefers it this way.
Is Full Time Necessary?
Many small businesses offer full-time positions when they don’t even have enough work for that amount of time. Even very successful small businesses (like ours) often don’t have a need for every employee to do full-time work. Each job function is different and entails different amounts of time, and employers know that. However, instead of offering part time work and fair pay, a lot of companies offer full-time work at lower pay. This makes zero sense. Yes, it is nice when all of your workers are at your beck and call 40 hours/week, but is it necessary?
Through clear and constant communication, our office runs very smoothly on a combination of office time and work-from-home time. When work done takes precedence over time spent, companies are taking a huge step toward a more productive and efficient workforce. We don’t kill time from 3-4pm on Farmville; we make sure to finish that design or post so that we can enjoy more free time out of the office.
Establish Precedence
It was made very clear to us that if we were going to work at the firm that this job will come before the other. That’s an easy declaration to make, but getting workers to feel and act that way is a whole different ball game. If you want workers with more than one job to put your company first, you have to first let them know that, and second, give them a reason to do so.
For us, there are several reasons. I think I can speak for the rest of the team when I say that pay dictates our allegiance, but there are several more perks that were offered in order for us put this job above the other. When there’s a tug of war for time and attention of an employee with more than one job, it can impede productivity, and frankly, it can get awkward. It’s best to simply eliminate the issue by establishing precedence and giving employees a reason to put your company first.
Obviously, full time has its perks, but as it turns out, so does part time. Our CMO doesn’t want part-time workers. She wants awake, productive and engaged part-time workers. Not every work situation can be ideal, very few are. This is about working with what you have as a company. Part time work is steadily becoming more common, and therefore, so will workers with multiple jobs.