Casual staff now in a position to ask for more hours at work. Here’s why

Experts say current worker shortages mean casual employees are now in a strong position to negotiate their needs.

Extreme talent shortages are giving part-time and casual staff more power to negotiate increased work hours.

New research reveals almost one in five Aussie workers are not working enough hours to make ends meet.

Casual staff are the most affected, with more than half saying they need more hours to meet their living costs, while more than a third of part-timers are also struggling, according to the research by HR software company ELMO.

It shows employees are continuing to work an average of 33 hours a week, which is unchanged from the same time last year.

While part-time and casual staff may previously have felt less valued than their full-time colleagues, experts say current worker shortages mean they are now in a strong position to negotiate their needs.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re part-time or working one hour a week … employers, now more than ever, can’t afford to lose their staff – in fact, they need more people or they need their (existing) people to do more so this is the perfect opportunity to have those discussions (about increasing work hours),’’ says people and behaviour expert Mark Carter.

Check your award

Before approaching the boss for more work, Carter recommends checking your current pay rate matches the industry award.

“A lot of part-time workers aren’t being paid the award rate,” he says.

He says many workers, including those with caring or study commitments, may find working more hours difficult and would be better to negotiate higher pay for the same hours instead.

“Know your worth,” he says. “Employers are now paying higher rates than they normally would. You could also negotiate for additional benefits and that may help you with your living costs too.”

Lydia Sartorio and her partner Dejan Ristic

Be honest

ELMO chief executive Danny Lessem says having candid talks with the boss about why you need more work is the most successful strategy to increasing your hours.

“Everyone is getting impacted by the increased costs of living,” he says.

“If you are struggling to make ends meet then maybe your manager is in the same position so there’s a real sense of empathy.”

Lessem says in most cases, it is easier to increase hours with the same employer than find a second job to supplement your income or move to a new company entirely.

He warns against making empty threats to quit.

“There’s a lot more insecurity amongst part-time and casual workers – they feel less connected to, or less valued by, organisations than full-time workers because of the lack of entitlements (compared to a full-time worker),” Lessem says.

“But asking for more hours is a perfectly reasonable discussion to have with your boss … and (workers) should have confidence given that labour is so scarce.”

Security of permanent job

Mortgage payments and increased living costs are less of a worry for Lydia Sartorio since she negotiated with her boss to move to a permanent role.

Sartorio was initially hired as an executive assistant by tech company ServiceNow on a contract basis but made it clear early on she was looking for a permanent, full-time role.

“Persistence definitely pays off,’’ says Sartorio.

“I kept flagging it (the desire to become permanent) consistently to keep it top-of-mind and I had several conversations with my manager and the HR team to make sure I was doing everything I could to make it happen.’’

Now about to welcome her first child, the transition to permanency has ensured Sartorio has access to paid parental leave.

“The security of a permanent role, and 20 weeks full pay during my maternity (leave), means I’m less worried about things like my mortgage and living expenses, especially when our family is about to grow and we need to get the house ready and buy all the essential baby items,’’ she says.

“It means I can focus on my child without the stress of losing my income.’’

She says ServiceNow’s paid parental leave policy, which has no waiting periods, and knowing she can return to her position once her child is older, provides peace of mind while she is away from work.

“I love my colleagues so it’s great to know my role is waiting for me when I’ve finished maternity leave,’’ she says.

Originally published as Casual staff now in a position to ask for more hours at work. Here’s why