# Part-time worker hard to find **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 29, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018 "2013-04-29T16:25:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/101 "2013-05-05T20:12:41Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I Why would you promote a good receptionist to sales when you can hire an MBA? And why should the receptionist work extra hard in anticipation of being rewarded with a promotion, if this was never presented to her as an option in the first place? One of the saddest cases I know concerned a very gung-ho, hustle-till-dawn ambitious type who was declared far and away the best employee the company had ever had in the position. This employee couldn’t understand why promotions seemed to be so out of reach despite the glowing reviews, the raises, etc. Turned out management wanted to keep the employee in that position because they didn’t want to hire someone else whose performance probably wouldn’t be anywhere near the employee’s level. Whenever management did promote somebody, it seemed to either 1) be political, or 2) they promoted somebody who obviously didn’t have the employee’s drive, but the somebody, for some reason, was “not the right fit for his/her current position so therefore we’re moving him/her up the ladder”. This happened a number of years ago, and I’ve since long left the company. I often wonder if the employee is still there doing the same job. > [@](#): > > Even in my workplace, I’ve seen many a soul become bitter when they realize there are simply not enough management positions opening up to accommodate all the “ambition” on the floor. If you’ve got a dozen people who’ve been working 60 hour weeks for twenty-five years all vying for the same management position, you end up with one person in a corner office and eleven people regretting all those lost hours of uncompensated work. Ambition is costly. I’ve worked with people like that. I understand where they’re coming from; OTOH their attitude really can put a serious damper on everybody who still likes their job and has enough pride to do the job as best they can. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/102 "2013-05-05T20:51:35Z")
Also note that the “part time job” is 7 hours a day, five days a week. This is more of a gripe with general circumstances than this particular one, but I do look in askance at jobs that say they’re “part time” when you’re only working one hour less a day than a full time job. That’s not all that big of a difference in time, yet it means the world when it comes to salary, benefits, and flexibility. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/103 "2013-05-05T21:03:08Z")
Some of the recent replies seem to be confusing the OP with the NJ office job. Not the same people or attitudes. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/104 "2013-05-06T14:58:25Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Also note that the “part time job” is 7 hours a day, five days a week. This is more of a gripe with general circumstances than this particular one, but I do look in askance at jobs that say they’re “part time” when you’re only working one hour less a day than a full time job. That’s not all that big of a difference in time, yet it means the world when it comes to salary, benefits, and flexibility. The 7 hour a day job in my office is full time. The employee has a paid hour lunch. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/105 "2013-05-06T17:41:42Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Frankly, you remind me of an overbearing manager I once had who was infamous for delivering her children not once but TWICE in a cab on the way to the hospital because she thought finishing her work day was more important than paying attention to her broken water and active labor. > > If one person’s absence for half a day throws a place of business into the sort of turmoil you describe _they are not adequately staffed_. > > And yet… you can not seem to keep that position filled. _Why is that?_ Are you SURE all those “pleasant people” are actually pleasant to the [del]peon scapegoat[/del] receptionist? Is the expected work load really reasonable? And no, saying “10 years ago I did that job” isn’t sufficient proof, _really look_ at what the job is demanding TODAY, not when you did it, because jobs and expectations change over time. > > If one of those people missing three hours out of just one work day results in you having to give up your weekend _then two people is not enough_. You can NOT run your staff at 100% 100% of the time because stuff breaks, people have problems, and stuff happens that truly is not within anyone’s control. > > Again - if you can’t keep someone permanently then why don’t you try a staffing agency that is obligated to supply you with someone every day, including finding a replacement if needed? > > But they are not allowed to get sick, they’re not allowed to take care of an ill or injured family member, there is zero flexibility - seriously, they have schedule all doctor and dentist appointments for after hours and weekends? NEVER an exception for any reason whatsoever? That’s _harsh_ lady, it’s out of the 19th Century sweathouses. Maybe you’re so used to this you don’t see that even in this day it’s extremely unusual to _never_ get any sort of sick time whatsoever. > So… they’ll spend money on sufficient equipment and supplies, but won’t for over for sufficient staff? How typical of corporate America these days… > > STAFFING AGENCY. Damn, woman it would solve so much of this problem it’s not funny. You have said quite a few things I never said. Emergency root canal, you can take off. That falls under the “really sick” category. Yearly cleaning, sorry. You can go after work, during your lunch or on weekends. We are in a major metropolitan area and this is doable, not Dickensonian. I was clear that if you are really sick, you can use vacation time. The longer you are here, the more vacation time you get. It is not “one person’s absence for half a day” that causes me to have to come in on a weekend. When one full timer misses three full days of work because of issues in her life and the other 3/4 timer misses two days because her cousin got arrested in a bar fight, damn right I’m pissed that I have to give up my weekend. Staffing agencies are hit and miss. You either get someone really good or really bad. I use them occasionally. We are not a mega-corporation with unlimited funds. If I pay the receptionist and clerical runner less, then I will have money left over for a temp. The work load IS reasonable. They are expected to hustle, as is everyone else around here. There are people who enjoy being busy because it makes the day go by quickly. If Betty the Bookkeeper is out for a day, Betty can catch up on her own work later in the week. If Rita the Receptionist is out, I don’t have a pool of 100 other employees people to draw upon. Rita can’t catch up later in the week because people are walking in the door right now, documents need to be sent right now and the phone is ringing right now. Rita has a back-up, Patty the Part-Timer. If Patty the Part-Timer can’t manage to get herself to work either, then there is a problem. We aren’t paying Rita the Receptionist to stay home, Patty the Part-Timer to stay home AND Tammy the Temp to come in and do what two other people are already being paid to do. Your labels of “peon” and “scapegoat” are projections from your experiences in your life, not from the reality of their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/106 "2013-05-06T17:52:02Z")
I don’t have an opinion other than that if your expectations don’t take a severe down-grade along with the paycut, I foresee only headaches in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/107 "2013-05-06T17:55:56Z")
Not an office job, but I had a couple of those “Part Time” jobs. If I put in less than 39 hours per week there was a problem, even worse if I got called in on the weekend, as I got overtime for that. The other abusers were Fast Food places. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/108 "2013-05-06T17:58:45Z")
I’m still floored that thirty-five hours a week is considered part-time. That’s ridiculous. That’s a full time job. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/109 "2013-05-06T20:17:57Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > I’m still floored that thirty-five hours a week is considered part-time. That’s ridiculous. That’s a full time job. If you are talking about one of the jobs at my office, it is full time. They are paid for 40 hours, and work 35. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/110 "2013-05-06T20:35:42Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Also note that the “part time job” is 7 hours a day, five days a week. Not true, bot don’t let that stop you from repeating that bit of misinformation. We have two jobs. Job #1 Rita the Receptionist 35 hours (7 hrs per day) + paid lunch hour = 40 hours = full time Job #3 Patty the Part-Timer 30 hours + paid lunch hour = 30 hours plus an extra hour for each day Patty works. Patty can work 5 days or 6. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/111 "2013-05-06T20:37:50Z")
Yes, you already corrected me in #104. Though now I’ll have to go back to remind myself why we’re talking about a full time job in a thread about a part time job… ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/112 "2013-05-06T23:32:25Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > Some of the recent replies seem to be confusing the OP with the NJ office job. Not the same people or attitudes. And it keeps happening. Thread has gone off on bizarre tracks and posters talking to themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/113 "2013-05-06T23:39:32Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > If Rita the Receptionist is out, I don’t have a pool of 100 other employees people to draw upon. Rita can’t catch up later in the week because people are walking in the door right now, documents need to be sent right now and the phone is ringing right now. Rita has a back-up, Patty the Part-Timer. If Patty the Part-Timer can’t manage to get herself to work either, then there is a problem. We aren’t paying Rita the Receptionist to stay home, Patty the Part-Timer to stay home AND Tammy the Temp to come in and do what two other people are already being paid to do. You just don’t get it. I’m not talking about a temp _in addition to_ the two people you already have, I’m talking about a temp(s) _instead of_ the people you already have. Although “temp” might not be the best word for it. You hire a staffing agency. You tell them you need a Rita and a Patty. _They supply the staff_. You will usually have the same person for long periods, but if that person can not make it the _staffing agency_ sends a replacement. Assuming it’s not a last-minute thing you’ll have the replacement showing up at the normal work time in the morning. If it is last minute you might have an hour’s delay in start, but you’d still get the replacement. You would never have to pay for more than 1.75 employees. You can even arrange for your current Rita and Patty to “transfer” their employment to the staffing agency in some cases. That way their attendance and/or substitution is now (mostly) someone else’s problem. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/114 "2013-05-06T23:42:32Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > I’m still floored that thirty-five hours a week is considered part-time. That’s ridiculous. That’s a full time job. At one of my old employers part-timers could work up to 39 hours. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/115 "2013-05-06T23:45:31Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > And it keeps happening. Thread has gone off on bizarre tracks and posters talking to themselves. It has strayed from the OP’s post, but nevertheless it’s a very interesting thread 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/116 "2013-05-06T23:51:36Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > At one of my old employers part-timers could work up to 39 hours. That’s ridiculous. Part-time should be considered twenty-four hours a week or less. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/117 "2013-05-07T01:07:22Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > That’s ridiculous. Part-time should be considered twenty-four hours a week or less. The problem with that is although it might work for some office jobs, it doesn’t work so well with jobs that have busy seasons. For example, my son works 30-39 hours a week from November through December. From Jan to march , he works maybe 12 hours, March through September about 20 hours and from Sept to November it’s back to 12 or so. Thirty-five hours week in, week out 50 weeks a year is clearly full-time. But “up to 39 hours” could be like my son’s job, which is clearly part-time (he _could_ work 20 hours in Nov/Dec if he wanted to) and which I suspect limits part-timers to 39 hours to avoid accidentally going over 40 hours due to starting early or leaving late. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/118 "2013-05-07T01:48:23Z")
**Lurker** , I know you think it’s wonderful, cushy job with a princely salary and benefit package and the problem is that every single person you’ve hired for this job has been lazy, shiftless moron. But you know that old saying about how if everyone you meet is an asshole, the problem most likely ain’t everybody else? Yeah. Look, the simple fact of the matter is that if your job opening was all that awesome, you wouldn’t have a revolving door. And I suspect the problem with this position is _not_ that it’s too well-paid. From what you’ve said, I’d guess it’s that you expect them to run through their day like they’re trying to catch the last train out of Paris. All day, every day. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/119 "2013-05-07T02:49:50Z")
I have to say, when the problem is “Our employees keep calling in sick, they aren’t able to keep up with the workload, they don’t work fast enough, and turnover is sky-high,” the answer is very, very rarely “I know! We’ll pay them even LESS!” ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018/120 "2013-05-07T03:49:56Z")
I believe the logic is that the quality of hirees under the lower pay will generally stay the same (at least won’t get worse), and at least under the lower pay they’ll be paid what they’re worth. I think the logic is flawed, but there you go. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/part-time-worker-hard-to-find/657018.md?page=7)