Part-time Agents

What is a part-time agent?

Part-time agents are call center employees who work less than a certain amount of hours per week. A minimum of 20 hours weekly is also necessary to be considered part-time agents, and employees are supposed to be available for extra shifts or occasional overtime.

While most businesses describe part-time work as anything less than 40 hours, the Fair Labor Standards Act makes no distinction between part-time and full-time work. As a consequence, each company has the authority to set an increase or decrease to their standard.

Benefits of hiring part-time agents

Part-time agents are a favor to the owner of a small company. They will reduce the operating costs while ensuring that your customers receive enough service during times of high demand.

• They assist your company in saving money. Hiring part-time staff is much less expensive than hiring full-time employees. You will also save money on wages and other benefits you would otherwise have to provide to full-time workers.
• They will be able to bring in specialized skills for a particular expertise. You may need to recruit part-time staff to fill a specialist ability gap in your current workforce. It can give you the full advantage of the opportunities without spending a lot of money.
• Allows businesses to be flexible to accommodate seasonal demands. Hiring part-time agents can be beneficial for call center companies that need extra assistance, especially during the holidays. If a particular department of your company needs help semi-regularly, it is preferable to recruit a part-time employee rather than a full-time employee.

Disadvantages of part-time agents

Although hiring some part-time employees can benefit your growing small company, there are a few drawbacks to working part-time.

Part-time workers can be less committed to the company, which may result in higher turnover rate and decreased dependability. Here are the other disadvantages of hiring a part-time agent:

• Consistency issues in the workplace. The issue with part-time workers is that they tend to ask about the task progress previously since they are not always present at work. That could take precious time and cause delays.
• Work may be inconsistent. Since part-time agents do not work the entire work shift, they may be required to log out before getting the job done. The productivity may suffer due to their reduced work hours and lack of familiarity with its policies and goals.
• Insufficient communication. Part-time agents aren’t as visible as full-time agents.  It’s difficult for other workers to get to meet them and collaborate with them. Part-time agents can make full-time workers uncomfortable.

Do part-time agents get paid for holidays?

Federal wage and hour legislation does not mandate part-time workers, in general, to receive extra pay for working on holidays or weekends. It could only happen unless those periods are overtime.

Further, state and local laws and company policy can determine whether full-time or part-time workers receive holiday or weekend pay.