Reader Mail: Benefits for Part-time Employees
Are part time employees entitled to any type of benefits?In the U.S., there is no federal law requiring that part-time employees receive any benefits whatsoever. In fact, there's also no law that defines part-time vs. full-time, or any law stating that full-time employees have to receive any particular fringe benefits.
Carol
That said, if you're a government contractor, there are some stricter requirements. 29 CFR 4.176 states that (for government contractors) any benefits provided to full-time employees (paid leave, medical, etc.) must be provided pro rata to part-time employees based on the portion of a 40-hour week which they work, i.e., someone working 20 hours a week would be entitled to half as much paid vacation, to have half of the medical plan paid by the company (or a less expensive, lower-coverage plan paid fully by the company), etc.
Of course, states may have their own regulations in that regard, and you will need to check with a local labor attorney or your state's labor department (they're named differently from state to state) to determine if there are state laws that may affect you.
Comments
Sadly, I doubt that we’ll ever see benefits paid to part-time workers, other than at the highest levels, consultants, executives, etc. But is that really surprising in a country where more than 46 million are uninsured?
The dumb part, as I say in my blog, is that benefits, no matter how small, offer a giant return to the employers smart enough to offer them.