How to Find Seasonal and Part-Time Employees
Many business owners see sales fluctuate throughout the year. Retailers, for example, often sell more goods on weekends than on weekdays, and have their busiest days during the year-end holiday rush. Other industries see business peak during the summer months. Hiring part-time workers is often the best way adjust to these variations.
Finding Part-Time Workers
Students usually have the best schedules for part-time help -- especially for summer, evening, or weekend hours. To tap into this applicant pool, try advertising in local and student newspapers, as well as on bulletin boards at nearby high schools and colleges. You can also call nearby schools to see if they have employment offices that match students with potential employers. Other resources include temporary agencies and Web sites targeted at seasonal or part-time employment. In addition, retirees are good candidates for part-time help; consider advertising at local supermarkets or calling nearby retirement associations.
Advertise your job openings three or four weeks in advance. This should give you enough time to hire and train someone. Depending on the position, you can usually make a decision on prospective part-time or temporary employees after one interview. This saves a lot of time compared to the multiple interviews warranted by full-time positions. However, if students are in short supply, or if competition for student labor in your area is fierce, you might want to advertise the job opening more than a month in advance.
When interviewing for part-time positions, concentrate on making sure candidates have the skills you're looking for. This can be tricky if the applicant has no prior job experience. In such cases, try to determine their qualifications from other life experiences, such as extracurricular activities and hobbies. Ask for references from teachers or coaches. You'll also want to make sure the prospective employee has transportation to and from the job site, and can work the required hours.
Employing Teenagers
The U.S. Department of Labor restricts when and how long teenagers can work. Generally, those 18 and older are exempt from child labor laws, and 16- and 17-year-olds can perform nonhazardous jobs for an unlimited number of hours. However, 14- and 15-year-olds can work outside school hours for no more than 3 hours on school days, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a nonschool day, and 40 hours in a nonschool week. In addition, they can work only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. (or until 9:00 p.m. from June 1st through Labor Day).
As an employer, you must record the birthdates of employees under the age of 19, their starting and quitting times, the number of daily and weekly hours worked, and their occupations. If you violate child labor laws, you can be fined up to $10,000. Your state might have additional child labor laws, so contact your state's labor department for more information.
Paying Part-Time Workers
Most businesses pay part-time employees by the hour. To find out the typical hourly wage in your area, you can ask other local businesses, check the classified ads, or inquire at your local Chamber of Commerce.
As of July 24, 2007, the Federal minimum wage is $5.85 an hour. (If you employ workers younger than 20 years old, you can pay $4.25 per hour during the first 90 consecutive days of employment. After 90 days, however, the Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, requires employers to pay the full federal minimum wage.)
Part-timers must fill out a W-2 form; income, Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment taxes are withheld just as they are for full-time employees. Remember also to check your state law to determine if its requirements are more stringent.
Fringe benefits can be a great way to complement a part-timer's wages. If you own a restaurant, for example, consider giving employees free meals during their shifts. Students often enjoy a job's fringe benefits just as much as the salary, and in a competitive labor market, good perks could set your business apart.
