With the evolving work arrangements in our workplace today, companies can expect more flexibility when it comes to the working structure. As such, there is a growing market of freelancers and part-timers.
As hiring part-timers is becoming a common affair, here is what you need to know when you have part-timers working for you within your organisation.
Who is a part-time worker?
Based on the definition provided by Ministry of Manpower (MOM), a part-time employee is one who is under a contract of service with an organisation to work less than 35 hours a week.
For any part-time employee, the contract of service must specify the following:
Hourly basic rate of pay
Hourly gross rate of pay (hourly basic rate plus allowances)
Number of working hours per day or per week
Number of working days per week or per month
Salary Payments – Monthly, Hourly & Daily
Part-timers are typically regarded as monthly-salaried employees, though it is up to the company’s discretion whether salary disbursement on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. For a monthly-rated part-time employee, calculations of their hourly and daily rates of pay are as follows:
Hourly basic rate of pay: (12 x monthly basic rate of pay) / (52 x no. of hours worked in a week)
Daily basic rate of pay: (12 x monthly basic rate of pay) / (52 x no. of days a part-timer employee is required to work in a week)
Overtime Work
Overtime work is defined as work that exceeds a part-time employee’s normal daily working hours. Part-time workers are entitled to payment for overtime work. The overtime payment rate is dependent on whether the hours exceed the normal working hours of a similar full-time employee.
Here are the overtime rates to use depending on the hours of overtime work:
If hours worked exceed part-time daily working hours but less than a full-time employee’s normal hours, the payment is calculated at the basic hourly rate of pay
If hours worked exceed a full-time employee’s normal hours, the payment is calculated at basic hourly rate x 1.5 for the hours that exceed a full-time employee’s normal hour
Rest Days & Public Holidays
A part-time employee is entitled to 1 rest day per week if they are required to work for at least 5 days in a week.
However, should they work on a rest day, the payment depends on whether the work was done at the employer’s request or self-requested.
For a detailed breakdown on the payment rates for work done on rest day, please refer to the MOM guidelines here.
A part-time employee is also entitled to paid public holidays. The public holiday pay should be pro-rated based on the number of hours that a part-timer works.
However, a part-timer is allowed to encash the public holidays and add it to their hourly gross rate of pay. However, such an arrangement should be agreed upon between the part-time employee and employer. Furthermore, it should be clearly stated in the contract of service.
The formula for pro-rated public holiday pay and encashing public holiday can be found on the MOM website here.
If the part-timer is required to work on a public holiday, he or she should be paid the following:
Basic rate of pay for 1 day’s work
Amount entitled to for a public holiday
One day’s travel allowance (if included in the contract)
Leave Entitlement
A part-time employee is entitled to paid annual leave and sick leave. Moreover, eligible parents can also qualify for maternity, paternity and childcare leave.
Do note that these leave entitlements are applicable only after the part-time employee has completed a minimally three months of service.
A detailed breakdown of the leave requirements and payment calculation can be found on the MOM website here.
Salary payments and leave benefits for a part-timer differ vastly as opposed to that of a full-time employee. It is important to familiarize yourself with the necessary entitlements and calculations to avoid making any payroll mistakes. Find out more about part-time employment on the MOM’s website here.
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