How to Hire Part-Time Employees for Your Warehouse or Factory: Tips and Tricks

Many factories or warehouses in industries such as manufacturing, food and beverage, and automotive rely on part-time employees to run their operations. While they also have full-time employees, part-time employees are required to cover busy periods, help with logjams, and support full-time employees who are on leave. However, hiring part-time employees can be a challenge, especially if you don’t know where and how to look for them. If you don’t hire the right people, you end up with a revolving door of workers leaving after a few weeks, and you end up wasting all the time you spent on onboarding and training them. Wondering how to hire part-time employees for the long term? Follow the tips and tricks in this article.

Know the law in Ontario

Many employers don’t have all the information when it comes to what constitutes full-time and part-time employment in Ontario. Before you set out to hire part-time employees, it’s a good idea to review what a part-time employee actually is and how it differs from a full-time employee.

In Ontario, there is no specific stipulation as to how many hours a part-time employee can work. However, in most organizations, part-time employment is considered to be under 30 hours per week and full-time employment is considered to be 40 hours per week. If a part-time employee works overtime hours, which is what is stipulated in their employment contract, then they are eligible for receiving overtime pay and statutory pay.

It's vital to include how many hours your part-time employees are required to work per week in their employment contract and within your employment policies.

Figure out your shift requirements

Many warehouses and factories run on two or three shifts per day, lasting anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, and sometimes more. Before you can start hiring part-time employees, it’s important to determine when you need those employees to work. For example, do you need additional coverage during the overnight shift or day shift? How many days per week do you need the extra coverage? Do you want an employee that can work multiple types of shifts if needed, or are you only looking for coverage for a singular shift?

Knowing this information beforehand can help you clearly communicate your requirements in the job description. However, if you say you are only looking for a part-time employee for a day shift but then ask that employee to work overnight, you may not be able to retain that employee for long as you didn’t let them know the real requirements upfront.

Write an accurate job posting

A major mistake we see many employers making is that they don’t spend the time and effort needed to write a clear and detailed job posting for part-time jobs. Many employers feel that because it’s only for part-time hours, the job description doesn’t need to include too much information. This tends to cause issues because as employees are hired, they notice that their tasks or their shifts are not what they thought they would be – and then they end up leaving.

In your job posting for part-time job, be sure to include what the expected weekly hours are, what shifts you’re looking for, how many days per week you’re looking for the employee to work, and what specific duties they will be required to complete at each shift. Also include any education, certification, or skills requirements you are looking for in your ideal candidate.

Determine what part-time workers are looking for

Part-time workers typically work part-time hours because they have other commitments to fill, such as going to school, taking care of children or elderly parents, or working a second part-time job. This means that they require flexibility in their employment and the understanding that they cannot be available to their employer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the drop of a hat.

In order to retain part-time employees for the long term, it’s best to make flexibility a focus. Offer the part-time schedule for employees well in advance so that they can plan their other commitments around their shifts or vice versa. This shows a respect for the employee and their personal lives.

Think long term

Many factory and warehouse organizations hire part-time employees on a seasonal basis during very busy periods where they have an excess amount of work. Once the seasonal work is completed, they let the part-time workers go. When the next busy season arrives, the organization is then forced to re-hire new part-time employees from scratch. Instead, it’s best to take a long-term approach when hiring part-time workers. Don’t think of having them for just the next few months, but for the next few years.

Ask candidates about their long-term goals, and whether they are looking for a long-term part-time position. You’ll be surprised to hear that many people are, especially students or caregivers. When your busy season is over, consider keeping some part-time employees on your roster a couple of times a week to cover shifts as needed. These employees can turn out to be valuable additions to your team and support your full-time employees when they go on vacation or leave. Plus, when your busy season starts again, you won’t have to hire new part-time employees as you’ll already have them ready to go.

Need help hiring part-time employees for your factory or warehouse?

Writing job descriptions, posting to job boards, reviewing resumes, shortlisting candidates, and conducting interviews for part-time employees takes a lot of time and energy. Why not focus on your operations and let the hiring experts take on those tasks for you.



At Noble Human Resources Solutions, we work with factory and warehouse organizations in a number of different industries, taking the burden of staffing away from them and providing them with highly skilled and ready-to-work part-time and full-time employees. Get in touch with us through the Employer Contact Form to let us know about your employee requirements.