OnBenchMark Logo

Things To Know Before Offering Employee Benefits To Part-Time Employees In Your Company

Things To Know Before Offering Employee Benefits To Part-Time Employees In Your Company
September 20, 2021

It's difficult to know what benefits business owners should provide part-time remote jobs employees. Because there are few federal laws and regulations on the subject, firms in the industry have some leeway in determining what employee benefits to provide their employees working part-time work from home jobs. Employers must, however, ensure that they are aware of and follow all applicable state and local laws and regulations.

 

What is part-time employment?

Part-time work is when an employee works fewer hours than what an employer considers full-time labor. The exact amount of working hours differs from one company to the next. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, part-time employees are defined as those who work one to 34 hours a week.

 

How part-time employees work

The company's standard work schedule determines a part-time worker's categorization. As a result, the definition of a part-time employee will differ from one company to the next. In most cases, a business specifies what constitutes a part-time employee and publishes that definition in its employee handbook.

 

It's crucial to remember that what defines full-time and part-time work changes as work conditions change. Employers in the United States have traditionally defined a conventional full-time workweek as 40 hours.

Many firms described part-time employees as those who worked less than the typical 40-hour workweek. Today, some businesses consider employees full-time if they work less than 35 hours per week, while others consider employees part-time if they work 34 hours per week.

 

One distinction between full-time and part-time employees in many firms is their eligibility for benefits such as health insurance, paid time off (PTO), paid vacation days, and sick leave. Part-time employees may be eligible for a pro-rated set of perks in some businesses. Part-time status in other companies means that an employee is not eligible for benefits.

 

What is the difference between full-time and part-time work?

The fundamental distinction between a full-time and part-time weekly schedule is that part-time workers work fewer hours than full-time workers. Aside from that provision, the Fair Labor Standards Act makes no distinction between part-time and full-time workers. These requirements are defined by the Contract workers in India. Employers should also examine other laws that may determine what is considered part-time.

 

Do part-time employees get benefits?

It depends on the remote working jobs and the benefits. Only provide statutory benefits (such as workers' compensation insurance, Social Security, or short-term disability insurance, depending on your state), a comprehensive fringe benefit package, or a properly tailored limited benefits package. Except when applicable legislation requires otherwise, business owners have a certain way when it comes to part-time employee benefits. Part-time employees may be enticed away from competitors by a benefits package, which can help boost employee engagement.

When designing your company's policy, here are a few benefits to consider offering to your part-time employees.

 

Retirement planning

Are part-time employees eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan sponsored by their employer? Business owners may be obligated to enroll part-time employees in qualifying retirement plans (including 401(k) plans) given to other workers. Part-time employees' eligibility for retirement plans, such as health insurance coverage, may be based on the number of hours worked. According to the studies, a plan may require more than 1,000 hours of work in a year in order to be eligible to participate.

 

The SECURE Act includes a clause requiring companies to provide long-term part-time employees 401(k) plan participation. In order to be eligible, employees are required to work at least 500 hours per year for three years in a row. Beginning January 1, 2021, hours must be tracked. Therefore a long-term part-time employee would be eligible to contribute in January 2024. Employee deferral eligibility is the only criteria that apply; these employees may still be excluded from employer contribution allocations.

 

Overtime laws and holidays

For all hours worked over 40 in a week, the FLSA requires covered employers to pay non-exempt employees an overtime rate of at least one and one-half times their usual rates of pay. For example, if an employee is paid $20per hour throughout the week, any labor above 40 hours during that week must be paid at least $25 per hour (assuming no other remuneration is to be considered in computing the usual rate of pay).

 

Unless those hours are genuinely overtime hours, federal wage and hour law does not mandate that employees get premium compensation for working holidays or weekends. Holiday and weekend premium pay may be paid to full-time or part-time employees depending on state and municipal legislation and/or corporate policy.

 

Healthcare insurance and eligibility

Even if health insurance is provided to full-time employees, Business owners may elect to exclude part-time employees from coverage. Expanding these benefits, on the other hand, could be viewed as an added benefit of employment.

 

Employers do not need to provide health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees must provide adequate and affordable health insurance to full-time employees and their families or face a penalty assessment under the ACA's employer shared responsibility (ESR) requirements. A full-time employee is defined as someone who works 30 or more hours per week or 130 hours per month for ESR purposes.

 

The definition of the term ''part-time employee'' under federal and state legislation, as well as your insurance provider and other variables, will determine your eligibility. Check with your insurance provider to see if they have any additional minimum hours requirements to qualify for health coverage. Typically, 20 hours a week are required to qualify for health insurance. However, this can vary depending on the aforementioned conditions.

 

Do remote employees get vacation time?

It is up to the Temp Work agency to determine if and how much vacation time part-time employees receive. Like every other benefit discussed above, these incentives for part-time employees can benefit both you and the employee. Vacation time, for example, can help you stand out from other Temporary resource agencies that don't provide it, aid in recruiting, and build a happy and productive part-time workforce as a service. On the other hand, part-time employees will likely value benefits such as vacation time, feel more loyal to the company, and be more motivated to stay.

 

The number of hours your part-time workers work can influence their eligibility for health insurance and retirement plan options when it comes to benefit decisions. Employers may have more leeway when it comes to setting eligibility limits for other fringe perks.

 

However, because part-time employees' morale and engagement are on the line, business owners should consider providing employee benefits to their part-time employees. Employers should be aware that just because there may be limited statutory impact at the federal level does not rule out the possibility that state or municipal legislation may impose restrictions.


Copyright© Cosette Network Private Limited All Rights Reserved
Submit Query
WhatsApp Icon