Part-Time vs. Full-Time Hiring: The Hidden Risk of Playing It Safe
Hiring your first employee or virtual assistant can feel intimidating.
I’ve talked with a lot of business owners who understand the value of hiring and creating leverage, but when it comes time to actually make the hire, I often hear something like:
“I want to dip my toe in the water first. Is it okay if I just hire someone part-time?”
I understand where that comes from. A part-time hire feels like less risk. You’re making a smaller commitment, and if you’ve never gone through the hiring process before, that can make the decision feel a lot more comfortable.
But often, the hesitation around hiring full-time is really covering up a different set of concerns: What if I don’t do it right? What if the hire doesn’t work out? What if I lose money?
Those are reasonable concerns. But choosing part-time doesn’t necessarily eliminate those risks. Sometimes it just kicks the pain point down the road.
The Two Types of Part-Time Employees
There’s some nuance here. If your choice is between not hiring anyone and making a part-time hire, make the part-time hire. Getting leverage is better than continuing to do everything yourself.
The problem comes when you’re actually in a position to hire full-time, but you default to part-time simply because it feels safer. When that happens, you’re likely to encounter one of two types of part-time employees.
1. The Part-Time Employee Who Wants to Be Full-Time
The first type is someone who accepts your part-time position but ultimately wants a full-time job. From their perspective, it makes perfect sense. A part-time opportunity is better than having no opportunity at all.
The problem is that while they’re working for you, they may still be looking for full-time employment. Meanwhile, you’re investing your time, energy, and resources into getting them up to speed.
You train them, they learn the role, and they start becoming productive. Then, 90 days later, they receive a full-time offer somewhere else.
Of course they take it. Full-time employment was what they wanted from the beginning.
Now you’ve spent all that time, energy, and resources getting someone up to speed, only to find yourself starting the hiring and training process all over again.
2. The Employee Who Actually Wants to Stay Part-Time
The second type seems to solve that problem. This person is part-time by choice. Maybe they don’t want full-time employment, or their current life situation simply doesn’t allow them to work full-time.
Great. You don't have to worry about them leaving because they're searching for a full-time opportunity.
But there's another problem that can show up later. You still have to invest the same time, energy, and resources into getting them up to speed. And assuming they're talented, they're going to start producing results.
Those results help your business grow, and that's exactly what you want. Except growth creates another need:
More leverage.
What Happens When Your Part-Time Hire Succeeds?
This is where part-time hiring can create an unexpected problem. As your business grows, the role grows with it. Eventually, your employee can succeed to the point where their part-time capacity is no longer enough to fulfill what the role requires.
Now you're stuck with a double-edged sword.
You can keep a talented employee part-time, but potentially slow the growth of the business because they don't have any additional bandwidth. Or you can recognize that the position now requires someone full-time.
That means potentially letting a very good employee go simply because they can't provide the capacity the role now requires.
The employee didn't fail. They succeeded.
But the structure of the role couldn't grow with them.
Is a Full-Time Hire Really That Risky?
Making that first full-time hire can feel like ripping off a Band-Aid, especially when hiring is new to you.
But remember something important: You don't have to keep someone in your organization who isn't performing.
If you make a full-time hire and discover they're not the right talent, you can replace them. But if they are talented, they should be able to produce enough value to more than make up for the cost of their salary.
Now you're getting the results you wanted without immediately running into the same capacity problem created by a part-time role.
Don't Let Fear Determine the Size of the Hire
Part-time hiring isn't inherently bad. There are situations where it makes perfect sense. And again, if your only options are hiring part-time or not hiring at all, make the part-time hire.
But don't automatically choose part-time because it feels less risky. Think beyond the capacity you need today. Think about what happens if this person is talented, their work helps your business grow, and the role eventually requires more capacity than they can provide.
Because sometimes the safest-looking hiring decision today simply creates another hiring problem tomorrow.
When you're in a position to make the full-time hire, make the full-time hire.
Go full time.
Ready to Explore Hiring a Virtual Assistant?
If you're ready to take that next step, Sphere Rocket is a company I recommend checking out to explore your virtual assistant hiring options.
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