How Many Hours is Part-Time? A Complete Guide for Employees

Matheen Haneef in Business Insight Sep 26 / 6 months ago

Many people consider part-time work due to its flexibility. Mostly it's helpful for students, parents, or anyone with other life engagements or full-time work. However, the number of hours considered part-time may be different according to region or the industry. So, how many hours is part-time? Let's discuss.

Here in this guide, we shall start with a systematic way of defining part-time work in the US and UK, present the advantages and disadvantages of working part-time, provide the types of jobs that fit part-time working hours, and introduce some helpful resources for organizing your work time effectively.

What is Part-Time Work?

Part-time work simply means that in any job an employee works fewer hours than a full-time employee. There are no absolute measurements or universal standards but you can consider the following to define it:

• USA: Working less than 30-35 hours per week is considered part-time. This can vary slightly by industry and from one occupation to another.
• UK: Part-time is generally considered to be less than 30 hours per week. Similar to the USA, it varies based on industry and occupation.

In both countries, the differences between part-time/full-time can influence the provision of some benefits to employees, such as vacations, medical coverage, and job security.

Full-Time vs Part-Time Workweek Breakdown (US/UK Average)

Here's a visual representation of a standard part-time and full-time workweek to help clarify the difference:

The given pie chart illustrates the proportionate difference in full-time and part-time workweeks for the US and UK averages:

• Full-Time Hours: Generally, do not exceed 40 hours in a week, which is proportionate to 21% to 24% of the whole week.
• Part-Time Hours: Most of the time, part-time is below 30 or 35 hours in a week, and it is proportionate to 12% to 18 % of the entire week.
• Non-working Hours: The percentage left provides the non-working hours and this consists of work offs, recreation, and personal work.

How Many Hours Is Considered Part-Time?

In both the USA and the UK, the way part-time work is perceived does vary. Plus, there is no legal part-time working minimum set by either country. Below is an analysis of what the average part-time hours appear to be in various sectors:

Common Jobs Suitable for Part-Time Work

Part-time employment can be found in many fields, and it plays an important role in the lives of students, mothers, and anybody else who wants to earn a little bit more. To begin with, let’s see some common industries and the most needed job positions for part-time:

Benefits of Part-Time Work

Apart from fewer working hours, part-time jobs offer many significant benefits. It effectively helps a lot in managing the work-life balance of a person and also provides the necessary flexibility. Moreover, it assists in career growth in the long term. Let’s figure out some of the most important advantages of part-time jobs.

1. Flexible Schedules

Since part-time jobs have flexible working schedules and hours, you may find it helpful. In most cases, a part-time employee is allowed to take charge of his or her work schedule and make it possible to work on other activities. 

Example: 

James is a part-time customer service assistant. His boss offers him some flexible work shifts in which he can perform his job in the evening while going to college in the daytime. The ability to choose his shifts has helped James pursue his degree while maintaining a steady income.

2. Improved Work-Life Balance

The part-time work will only be restricted to set or agreed work hours, there will be adequate time left for engaging in other activities like pursuing interests and hanging out with colleagues or friends. This helps in promoting good health both psychologically and physically.

For example:

Emily is a married woman with two children. Currently, she is working as a teaching assistant but only on a part-time basis. Most importantly, her job does allow her to return home before the children come from school. This helps her maintain a healthy balance between work and family.

3. Opportunities for Extra Income

A good number of people often accept to work on a part-time basis to enhance their primary source of earning. This supplementary income may come in handy to manage some bills, prepare economically for the future, or fund your undertakings. 

Example:

David is a graphic designer by profession and he works on a full-time employment contract but usually takes up freelance work during the weekends to make some extra bucks. David is also able to monitor the average weekly hours he spends on both jobs and thus does not work excessively. 

4. Pathway to Full-Time Opportunities

Sometimes part-time jobs can lead a person to more permanent employment in that organization. This is because most employers hate bringing new people into the organization and keep these part-time employees for full-time positions whenever they are available. 

Example:

Sophie started as a part-time shop assistant but was always a great asset. However, when a vacancy for a full-time post arose, Sophie was placed under consideration by the boss for this post due to her best skills and commitment. In this way, the part-time roles help employees prove themselves to secure more stable or full-time positions. 

Common Challenges Faced by Part-Time Workers

Employees working part-time mostly face some unique problems. It is important to know these common issues to tackle them successfully. Let's have a look at some common problems in detail.

1. Irregular Schedules

Part-time employees who work in hotels, restaurants, and delivery services are very prone to irregular or unpredictable schedules. Mostly, they don't have an exact fixed work schedule and Weekly shifts may be subject to change based on the demand. 

Therefore, employees often have to wait until the last minute to be informed of when to report for duty. This is a challenge to arrange for personal time or other engagements more reasonably.

Example:

Sara, who is a part-time waitress, is always given a weekly schedule on short notice. Also, she is at times asked to come in on the weekends for some extra shifts which in turn conflicts with her social and family gatherings. 

2. Limited Career Growth Opportunities

Part-time employees might experience the impact of few chances for rise. For example, when promotion, training, or new duties are available, employers tend to select full-time staff only.

Solution:

Many part-time workers choose to obtain additional skills after working. This helps them enhance their work performance and resumes which positions them well for promotion in the future.

3. Lower Job Security and Benefits

In the US, most part-time employees do not enjoy certain perks such as health coverage, retirement savings like 401k, or even paid leave. This is a shortcoming and quite undesirable, especially for individuals who depend on obtaining some income only from part-time jobs.

In contrast, in the UK part-time workers are entitled to statutory benefits like paid annual leave, sick pay, and pension contributions. However, the calculated proportion of these benefits is low compared to the full-time jobs. Still, part-time workers are more likely to experience fears about job security than full-time employees. 

Know Your Part-Time Work Hours and Rights

As working part-time workers, it is very important to manage your time. This will enable you to maintain a good balance between work and personal life. 

This is applicable when you are balancing multiple jobs (your full-time job with part-time), personal responsibilities, or academic things. Further, it’s important to track your hours and understand your rights including eligibility for overtime or benefits.

Example: Work-Life Balance for a Part-Time Worker.

To better understand how work-life balance might look like for someone working 25 hours a week, let’s break down their time allocation over a standard week (168 hours):

• Work: Out of the 168 hours, work consumes about 25 hours which is approximately 15% of the week
• Sleep: Within these hours, sleeping takes approximately 56 hours (8 hours × 7 days) representing 33% of the week
• Personal Time: Finally, an individual gets personal time for about 87 Hours which is 52% of the week that is spent on well-deserved work breaks for personal activities, family, chores, etc.

From this breakdown, you can get a rough estimate of your 25-hour week part-time job. Also, there is a lot of personal time to do different activities such as spending time with family or other hobbies, getting extra jobs, or going to college. However, managing this time effectively is key to avoiding stress or burnout.

How to Calculate and Manage Your Part-Time Work Hours

A Time Converter tool can help you calculate and handle your part-time work hours. Further, it is helpful to compare your weekly work hours in working days, or minutes. This is useful to plan and organize your time.

For example, if you work 20 hours a week, here’s how it can be broken down:

Weekly:

• 20 hours = 0.83 days 
• 20 hours = 1,200 minutes

Monthly (assuming 4 weeks):

• 80 hours = 3.33 days
• 80 hours = 4,800 minutes

These conversions can help you:

• Track your work hours in different units for better planning.
• Understand how much of your week or month is spent on part-time work.
• Plan for overtime or additional tasks by visualizing time in different ways.

Using these figures, you can improve your time management and ensure your work schedule fits with other commitments.

Case Study Example:

Sarah is a retail sales associate and she has a second job where she works 25 hours per week. She wants to know how many hours approximately this makes for her in an entire month. By using the Time Converter, she figured out that she works approximately 108 hours in a month (25 hours in four and a third weeks).

Percentage Calculator for Work-Life Balance

By using the Percentage Calculator, you can calculate the number of hours in the week spent on work-related duties and the number of hours remaining free.

For instance, if you spend 20 hours in a week at work:

• There are 168 hours in a week (7 days x 24 hours).
• The Percentage Calculator indicates that working for 20 hours takes approximately 11.9% of the week.

Case Study Example: 

John is a teaching assistant who works 15 hours a week while managing a full-time course in college. By using the Percentage Calculator, John finds that his part-time work takes up only 8.9% of his week which leaves him with ample time for studies, sleep, and personal activities.

Average Calculator for Managing Variable Hours

Emma is working as a content writer and set her own hours. In some weeks, she only spends 10 hours working but in other weeks less or more (the part-time work hours vary). Therefore, she needs to calculate the average work hours for better planning. For example, in the last four weeks, she averaged her weekly working hours as follows: 

• Week 1: 10.5 hours 
• Week 2: 20 hours 
• Week 3: 32 hours 
• Week 4: 25 hours 

Here, she utilized the average calculator to find out the average work hours which equals 21.875 hours. Moreover, it helps her better understand the workload and set appropriate expectations with clients.

Final Words

Part-time work offers several benefits and at the same time comes with its own set of challenges. There is no standard time set for part-time hours but both in the US and UK, the part-time work hours seem less than 35 hours. 

Further, with the right strategies and tools like the Time Converter, Percentage Calculator, and Average Calculator, part-time workers can easily manage their hours, ensure a balance between work and personal life, and make informed decisions about their employment.

FAQs

Q1: Can students work and study at the same time?

Of course. Many students engage in part-time employment as they continue with their studies. This is why these jobs are flexible and fit well with student’s schedules. Some companies even go a step further by offering student-friendly work schedules.

Q2: What should I consider if I want to ask my employer for a salary raise for part-time work?

You should prepare yourself before talking to the manager regarding asking for a salary increase. It may include things like how long you have been working for the organization and the contribution that you have made. The right time to make such requests is during the performance assessments or after completing a certain target.

Q3: Is it all right to request the employer for part-time work rather than a full-time position?

Yes. While it is not typical, you may request to work part-time instead of full-time if that allows you more freedom. Most people tend to need this option when they have more pressing issues on the personal side. For instance, to help a sick parent, child, or any other close relative.

Explore Related Posts

https://smarttoolsai.com/post/time-converter-applications-in-global-operations 

https://smarttoolsai.com/post/short-condolence-message