# Is working part time ever a bad thing?



## celbrise (May 13, 2017)

i always try to opt for full time because i need the medical as well as the hours but i recently got hired today at a big name store here the starting pay is fairly good compared to my last job, commute is alright.. but biggest issue for me is it's part time only. chef i spoke to claimed i can get full time later down the line and lots of over time as well but i was wondering has anyone been in a situation like this working part time and they stated these things but when working for a long term period and asked for full time were not given it?

i kind of worry but obviously im losing income working part time and i didn't expect full time off the bat from this company but i've heard MANY stories where people are hired part time from big name stores then hours just start getting cut until they are basically forced to leave. all were retail related jobs though.

this will be my only job but i do likely plan to stay with the company for quite a few years.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

no, its happened to me in 2 diff restaurants in my life. 
There are of course many reasons for cutting your hours, 
slow time of year, they dont like you, their cousin 
wants your job, co workers resent you "stealing" their hours,
etc. One important thing is to, at time of interview, find 
out WHY the position youre applying for is even available.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Pretty much was Meez said...

Then again, it’s getting closer to Christmas, and employers are desperate for relief staff, so they’ll tell you anything you want to hear.

Not saying that’s what this employer does, maybe he’s got someone taking Mat leave in Feb.. and is keeping his cards close until he sees what you can do. Or not....


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

There are a few ways of looking at a part time position in the kitchen. 

1. It gives you a chance to show how hard working you are.
2. It gives the Chef call-in people without overworking their full-time staff.
3. It cuts down on overtime in the kitchen.
4. It gives you a chance to see if this job is right for you.

That being said there are a lot of promises made and not kept in the kitchen. The Chef needs to cover their butt. In some cases they will lead people on in order to get people on call/no benefits to keep the kitchen running smooth. Find out from other employees if they were told the some time you were told and if a full time position materialized. 
I will tell you one thing. I don't know of any Chef that doesn't follow thru and work hard to keep a good employee. Make sure you are a valued asset to the Chef...........ChefBillyB


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

I agree with what everyone above has said. It could be a tough situation, but if you like it there, and can afford to be part time for awhile, then it might be worth sticking it out for a bit. It will be really important though for you to work your butt off and prove to the chef that you are an invaluable asset and it would be in his best interest to move you to full time. I would say that if that doesn't happen within a few months, then start looking for another job. Once you find one, let the chef know, and if you are really worth it, I would expect an offer of full time employment would be forthcoming.


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## factory1 (Feb 17, 2009)

I changed from working as a chef to running my own Catering Equipment co, I just found the hours were killing me. There are plenty of franchise or distributor opportunities out there for ex chefs or people with kitchen experience. Even if you never sold anything before you will be picked because of your knowledge and background. I agree though that if i were to go back into it i would definitely go part time but this would be more for health reasons. There are plenty of well paid jobs going in scotland for chefs if you look hard enough especially highlands and islands.


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## Seoul Food (Sep 17, 2018)

Did they give you a written timeline on when you would revisit full time? On a side note I would be worried about getting too much hours as well and basically working as a full timer but no classification which in turn means no benefits.


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## celbrise (May 13, 2017)

Seoul Food said:


> Did they give you a written timeline on when you would revisit full time? On a side note I would be worried about getting too much hours as well and basically working as a full timer but no classification which in turn means no benefits.


sadly after 2 days of BS run arounds from the manager i left. felt it was very unprofessional of them to hire me "part time" yet not allowed to clock in or not given a set schedule even when asked. the day after my 2nd day was my day off and was told the manager would put my schedule up the next day obviously i wasn't going to drive down 1 hour per way just to see my schedule so i called, left voice mail and even texted. no reply until 4 days later.

the way they ran things from what i saw was just unprofessional. chicken was going out raw, fish going out raw, they were more concerned about quantity versus quality. for a big company i was very disappointed how they ran things.


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## Seoul Food (Sep 17, 2018)

celbrise said:


> sadly after 2 days of BS run arounds from the manager i left. felt it was very unprofessional of them to hire me "part time" yet not allowed to clock in or not given a set schedule even when asked. the day after my 2nd day was my day off and was told the manager would put my schedule up the next day obviously i wasn't going to drive down 1 hour per way just to see my schedule so i called, left voice mail and even texted. no reply until 4 days later.
> 
> the way they ran things from what i saw was just unprofessional. chicken was going out raw, fish going out raw, they were more concerned about quantity versus quality. for a big company i was very disappointed how they ran things.


Well sounds like you dodged a bullet. Bot having any time keeping system for employees and not having schedules posted ahead of time can be a big labor no-no so this I'm sure will come back to bite them when someone who knows the laws reports them.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Sounds like things were slow, plus they didn’t like the way Celbrise combed her hair—or was it she wore grey socks?

In any case it’s all experience, the next p/t interview you’ll know what questions to ask. For me, I forgot to negotiate at least one 8hr shift per week if “ they” wanted me on the schedule as p/t. Took me 3 weeks to figure out that one.....


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## celbrise (May 13, 2017)

to follow up with this company if anyone was interested i just recieved my paycheck from them. looked at hours clocked since they didn't allow me to even clock in and out of 30 hours minimum not including my breaks only 8 hours is on the check. 

i think it is safe to say i dodged a bullet. money is still money so imma take it but for a company to screw me over like that i'll take an easy pass.


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## Seoul Food (Sep 17, 2018)

If you can prove you were there for those hours I would call the labor board. Even if you never see a penny from it you may get some satisfaction out of it.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Agreed, and by the way, in terms of "proof" if you can show the labor board 
a log you kept a log of days and hours worked, thats generally enough
for them to file your case and call those bastids in to labor court. 
Speaking from experience,their reasoning is that if someone goes to 
the trouble of keeping a log, its most likely accurate.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Sigh.... I know, 
Playing the devils advocate— or more accurately the employer, 
that’s the way the labour board works here too. Had one S.o.s. ( sack of, uh, excrement) pull that stunt with the labour board here, claimed I owed him over 30 hrs o.t. according to his records. Of course the labour board refuses to honour/acknowledge punch clock records, but this S.o.s. had called in sick most of the time, and when anyone is sick for more than two days I ask them for a doctor’s note. I had a doctor’s note for about 26 of those 30 hours. The labour board decided not to proceed with that case....


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

well the problem with time clocks especially the newer computerized ones, is they can be easily altered. And the labor board peeps know this too. It all comes down to credibility, and in my experience most of the labor board people are pretty sharp.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Ummm....sharp, yeah. Thing is, if you can’t honour/acknowledge a time clock, what actual unbiased proof do you have? We used sign in sheets where the employee had to sign off every day on his/her hours. But even this is not accepted as proof, the employees own notes trump over this—at least in my province..

The problem here in my province (British Columbia) is that the labour board operates with the mandate of “ the onus is on the employer”. Thus, the labour board is not about justice, or truth, its all about finding the employer guilty. When claims are made against the employer, the employer has to defend himself, at his cost, and in the case of a “not guilty” verdict is not entitled to any compensation ( time spent, accounting fees, etc) nor will the labour board acknowledge that the claims against the employer were false, or malicious, just “ insufficient evidence”. They will also fine the employer on a totally unrelated issue to the claim.

To be fair, we have to acknowledge that just as there are slimebag employers, there are too slimebag employees. Problem is that there are more employees than employers.

The above was one of the reasons we sold our business after 20 years of operations


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## Seoul Food (Sep 17, 2018)

We use a digital time clock with personalized employee numbers that can only be activated by the users fingerprints in a area that has a camera.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Yup, in the place I work in now we have that too, I think theirs is almost 10 yrs old now. It’s great for payroll and almost eliminates “punchclock buddy syndrome” , but labour board ( in my province, anyways) won’t use it as a deciding factor in claims against the employer.

In any case, the o.p., Celbrise, should contact the employer and ask what the cut off/ pay period dates are, and why she is missing a chunk of her pay check before going to the labour board. I’m not suggesting this as a courtesy, or giving the employer “another chance” b.s., it’s just that if the employer does pay up, it will be faster and less frustrating than going through the labour board.


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