Oct 26, 2010

Hiring part-time workers can have downsidesBy Cyndia ZwahlenLATimes.com

Hiring a part-time worker can be a money saver for a small business, whether the company is growing or shrinking, but experts warn that the choice comes with possible downsides.

An unwary business could wind up facing an expensive legal battle if it runs afoul of federal or state labor laws, which generally apply to part-timers as well as full-time workers.

“I am getting more calls from small-business owners who are getting hauled into court or being audited by some agency because they are being accused of violating laws they didn’t even know applied to them,” said Teresa Tracy, a labor attorney in Marina del Rey.

Too often, she said, part-time workers are not considered regular employees by their employers. Small businesses, especially, often lack the human resource expertise needed to follow the myriad rules and requirements that come with having even a single part-time employee.

Part-timers qualify for overtime, and meal and rest break rules might apply to them. In California, which has a daily overtime rule, even an employee who comes in one day a week could be due overtime if he or she works more than eight hours in one day.

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