Full-Time
vs. Part-Time Employees
It is entirely up
to an employer to come up with its own criteria
as to how many hours an employee works a day or
week or any other factors that make an employee
part-time vs. full-time for that particular employer.
However, if wages or wage benefits are involved,
then the employer must clearly spell out in writing
(policy, handbook, etc.) as to what it takes to
be a full-time employee vs. being a part-time employee.
This is especially important if an employer's part-time
employees do not earn wage benefits such as, but
not limited to, vacation pay (including PTO and
PDO leave), sick leave, and holiday pay, while its
full-time employees can earn wage benefits. Also,
it is legal for an employer to switch an employee
from full-time to part-time even without the employee's
knowledge as long as the employee does not ends
up losing wages, including wage benefits, that have
already been earned at the time of the change-over.
Please review on-line
our fact sheet on Promised
Wages Including Wage Benefits for details on
wages and wage benefits.
Please note that the
North Carolina Department of Labor does not handle
benefit issues such as pension plans, retirement
plans, 401(k) plans, IRAs, profit sharing plans,
and medical/health insurance including COBRA. Here
is the agency that you need to contact:
United States Department
of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Room 7B54
Atlanta, GA 30303
Telephone: (404) 562-2156
Web Site: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa
For all insurance
questions, you may also contact the North Carolina
Department of Insurance's Consumer Division at (919) 733-2032
(Raleigh) or toll-free 1-800-662-7777. Web site:
http://www.ncdoi.com/
North Carolina Department
of Labor
Wage and Hour Bureau
1101 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1101
(919) 807-2796 or (toll-free NC only) 1-800-NC-LABOR
Web site: http://www.nclabor.com
