My boss, our customer service person, and I went to lunch Friday. CSR is overworked. She can really use some part-time help. In the past, we’ve hired temps; but the new president doesn’t want to spend the money on temps. Apparently, the CSR has interviewed some people to help her out. They all wanted ‘custom schedules’. i.e., schedules that were good for them, but not in line with the needs of the company. One guy asked for a salary of $75,000/year. CSR was like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to make more than I do. I guess you want to spend more time collecting unemployment benefits.’ (She didn’t actually say it to him.)
With so many people out of work, it’s strange that people are unwilling to accept a job.
(Our department could use another person too; but our building didn’t sell, so I don’t see that happening.)
Well, with part-time work, it’s not unreasonable for someone to ask for some particularity with hours. After all, they want part-time because they’ve got to do something else (school, kids, their other two part-time jobs) with the rest of their time. You’re not obligated to accept that, of course, but you might have trouble lining up a good candidate whose schedule matches yours.
The money thing, well, some people are morons and some people don’t realize that the Overton Window has limits in negotiation. Having the other guy actually laugh at your offer doesn’t strengthen your position.
A flexible schedule is a very common expectation amongst those looking for part-time work. In jobs that are minimum wage and part-time, it is often the only “benefit” available.
Plus, a lot of people in the part-time job market are looking to work during hours when their kids are in school or when free childcare is available. At minimum wage or near it, there is no point in working if you have to pay for childcare–it cancels out your income.
I have no kids, but when I started looking for part-time work recently, I narrowed it down to jobs where I could have some say in the hours I worked. It was easy to find the amount of work I wanted, at the times I wanted, at my top-choice businesses. The job market may not be so bad as you think. I found that there are a LOT of part-time jobs posted in my area, even though we have a glut of highly qualified people living in the area.
Not my bailiwick. I think I’ve heard the temp agencies charge $25/hour, and that the workers get about $12/hour.
I get that people want jobs that fit their schedules. I have that, since I telecommute three days a week, and work a split shift on those days so I attend to other things. I don’t know what schedule is required, but ISTM that people shouldn’t think that, say, 1300 - 1700 is unreasonable.
And 75 kilobucks a year for answering forms and emailing reports? Part time? Yeah, I’d take that.
When I worked for a staffing agency (off and on for 10 years) I received about 65% of what the customer was paying to the agency, just as a benchmark. So for $18/hour for the customer I’d get $12/hour.
If I was looking for part time work, that would be the worst time of day for me. Smack dab in the middle of the day, and right when I would need to be picking my son up from schoo. I would prefer a 9am to 1 pm or an evening shift to a 1pm to 4pm shift.
If someone works part time, they don’t want to work 5 days a week. That defeats the purpose.
It would probably be best to hire from a temp agency, or contract out customer service, if it can’t be handled by either a cheap full time person or a flexible 20 hour person.
Plus, it sounds like a job that requires skill. Someone waiting around for a $15-16/hour position for 25 hours where she can pick up her kids, etc., isn’t going to settle for that. Or they have another job, or have school, etc. You’re not hiring a droid, people can’t live off what you’re going to pay them.
There are some businesses out there who practice “open scheduling”, meaning that you’re scheduled for when the business needs you, not the other way around. If you can’t abide by that, they’re all too willing to show you the door, and it doesn’t matter if you’re the minimum wage PT person, a FT person, or management.
Not necessarily. I know quite a few people who would love to be able to find a M-F, 9am to 1pm part time job. Work is entirely while the kids are at school and you’re off weekends.
There was a news story in one of the local papers a few months ago on local manufacturing companies that were in desperate need of workers. The articled mentioned starting salaries in the $10 to $15 / hour range.
And that’s the problem. If a person is getting unemployment or welfare, SNAP (food stamps), Section 8 housing, child care subsidies, energy allowance, EITC, etc., then there is little incentive to get a job paying $10 to $15 / hour. Why get up every morning at 6 AM when you can sit at home all day? In other words, the local manufacturers are competing with the government, and the article said as much.
Unless the pay is spectacular, part-time work generally isn’t enough to live on, so it’s not usually an option for people who absolutely need work. If a job doesn’t cover your living expenses, it’s not particularly helpful. It’s better to hold out for a full time job that you can actually live on.
So a large portion of the people who are applying are going to be people who have some financial flexibility, and may not be particularly desperate. You may be looking at stay-at-home parents wanting to pick up some extra cash, students supplementing their loans, actors and writers looking for part-time work, etc. These people usually have other commitments to work around, and may be able to be a little choosey.
There is a MAJOR flaw in that reasoning, Crafter_Man thought I’m not surprised you’ve missed it. With the exception of unemployment (which still requires you to look for work) able-bodied adults are required to be employed if they want to continue to receive SNAP, Section 8, child care subsidies, energy allowance, EITC (indeed, that one you ONLY get if you work), and so forth. If you can’t find work in my state you will be put to work with whatever agency will take you on, and if you refuse you will lose your benefits. So no, it’s not “competing” with the government and “those” people are NOT staying home all day doing nothing.
The sole exception to the work requirement are those who are the direct caretakers of pre-school children.
Oh, and “welfare” ceased to exist in 1996. We haven’t had welfare in this nation for over 15 years. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families has a lifetime limit of five years per child. If you don’t have children, or they’ve aged out of the program, that’s it. You get no direct cash benefit. Period.
Please take note of the above and correct your errors in knowledge. You’re a smart guy, you should keep your facts updated.
I will also note that when I was on food stamps my work requirements was 30 hours per week, not twenty. In other words, a $15/hour job that only had 20 hours a week would result in ALL government support being pulled. It wasn’t that I was unwilling to take a 20 hour a week job, it’s that it was not in my best interests to do so (unless I could get two of them and their hours didn’t conflict). The people on government benefits are forced to look for 3/4 and full time work, not 1/2 time as Johnny suggests his company is looking for.
I work part-time and have been PT for the last decade. From my POV, it’s much more cost/time effective to work 2 8-hour shifts than 4 4-hour shifts. Getting dressed (and having to buy 2 work-appropriate outfits v 4), commute time, cost to park, cost to hire a sitter, etc. are all best condensed vs. spread out. Plus it’s a minor PITA to come in for 4 hours, especially when one end is during rush hour. Once you get settled in, it’s time to leave!
Not sure why you’d say that. Were I working part-time that’s exactly what I’d prefer. (And when I went to school, that’s exactly what I preferred.) What is your idea of the purpose of part time that this kind of schedule defeats?
I wonder if the OP might be better advised to find pairs of people who would job-share? 1 week on, one week off sort of thing. Basically one child-sits when the other works.
Sounds like they aren’t putting the right info into the ads. Put an hours of work in there if you already know when it is. “Part time CSR working 3 pm - 7 pm weekdays” or something like that.
Nowadays, it seems that the only way to get a job is to be covered with tattoos and have your earlobes and possibly nasal septum all stretched out. :rolleyes: