Organisational structures - AQAPart time, full time and flexible hours

Employees usually work in one of three ways when they are employed by a business. These are on a part-time, full-time or flexible-hours basis. Which basis is used usually depends on a mixture of business requirements and the requirements of employees.

Full time

Full time usually refers to an employee working more than 35 hours per week, often spread over five days each week. Full-time employees work in all job roles. Examples of job roles that include full-time employees are teachers, office workers, pilots, police officers, doctors and nurses.

Part time

Part time refers to an employee working for only part of the working week, or anything less than full time. Often, a part-time employee may work for two, three or four days a week. Part-time employees work in all industries but are commonly found in the retail industry, where a shift role may only be required on certain days or times.

Flexible hours and zero-hours contracts

Having flexible hours is a more modern way of working. Employees are given a set number of hours to work in a week, month or year but get to choose when they work. For example, a business might let employees start work any time between 7am and 10am, then depending on start time, finish between 3pm and 6pm.

Flexible-hours workers may work any number of hours up to full time, so they may be either full or part time. Flexible hours are often beneficial to both businesses and employees, as offering flexible working can lead to higher staff retention and better productivity, while also providing employees with flexibility in their personal lives.

Some businesses have begun offering flexible hours in the form of zero-hours contracts. In a zero-hours contract, an employee has no specified number of hours per week. Instead, they are given work when the business requires them. This is beneficial to the business as it fills business shortages. It also provides employees with a lot of flexibility, but it can lead to uncertainty about whether they will get any work, and they may not receive a regular income.