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Best companies to work for part-time

Part-time work is an important option for many people.

You may have caring responsibilities, studies or something else that means you need part-time work to fit around your commitments.

But where do you find a good part-time job?

54% of the companies on Breakroom hire part-time workers.

These companies and the jobs they offer span lots of different industries. It can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start looking.

So we’ve looked at what real part-time workers have shared about their jobs.

Based on this information from part-time workers, we'll cover the following:

Now let’s look at a list of which companies workers have said are the best for part-time work.

The top 10 best companies to work for part-time

  1. 1

    IKEA

    Breakroom Rating based on 41 job reviews

    7.6/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Most people find it easy to change shifts

      Good

    • Most people get enough choice over which shifts they work

      Good

    Best thing

    The wage, colleagues, hours, type of work I do

    Food Co-Worker, March 2020

    Worst thing

    Being put on shift with people who don't know what they're doing or aren't motivated by the job at all and are lazy, having to book holiday so far in advance , no routine

    Co worker, December 2019

    See what 41 people said
    about jobs at IKEA

  2. 2

    EE

    Breakroom Rating based on 65 job reviews

    7.4/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Yes. People get proper sick pay

      Excellent

    • Most people get enough choice over which shifts they work

      Good

    Best thing

    Getting off phone to happy customers

    Customer service representative, October 2019

    Worst thing

    Targets

    Senior sales advisor, October 2019

    See what 65 people said
    about jobs at EE

  3. 3

    Screwfix

    Breakroom Rating based on 122 job reviews

    7.3/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Usually. Most people get paid breaks

      Good

    • People recommend working with their team

      Excellent

    Best thing

    Meeting new people, customers and staff

    Sales assistant, October 2019

    Worst thing

    Customers who think they are better than you

    Sales assistant, October 2019

    See what 122 people said
    about jobs at Screwfix

  4. 4

    John Lewis & Partners

    Breakroom Rating based on 90 job reviews

    7.2/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • People don’t worry about getting enough hours

      Excellent

    • People get proper breaks

      Excellent

    Best thing

    The people I work with

    Catering assistant, September 2019

    Worst thing

    Not sure. Maybe the feeling that the company isn't doing as well as we'd all like right now...

    Team manager, August 2020

    See what 90 people said
    about jobs at John Lewis & Partners

  5. 5

    Aldi

    Breakroom Rating based on 628 job reviews

    6.9/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Most people find it easy to change shifts

      Good

    • Most people feel stressed here

      Not great

    Best thing

    Hours suit my lifestyle

    Cashier, November 2019

    Worst thing

    Not enough staff at times.

    Deputy manager, September 2019

    See what 628 people said
    about jobs at Aldi

  6. 6=

    Greggs

    Breakroom Rating based on 171 job reviews

    6.8/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • People feel treated with respect by their managers

      Excellent

    • People don’t get 4 weeks notice of when they’re working

      Bad

    Best thing

    the customers i like working in face to face customer service rolls.

    Supervisor, August 2020

    Worst thing

    Small shop so can get busy quickly
    Can be overstaffed or understaffed
    Delivery’s aren’t always on time or leaving enough time to put away

    Weekend Team Member, March 2020

    See what 171 people said
    about jobs at Greggs

  7. 6=

    Three

    Breakroom Rating based on 26 job reviews

    6.8/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Most managers don’t change people’s shifts at short notice

      Good

    • No. People don’t get paid breaks

      Bad

    Best thing

    I feel valued

    Customer advisor, October 2019

    Worst thing

    Lack of support, constant lies from management

    3Store support advisor, October 2019

    See what 26 people said
    about jobs at Three

  8. 8

    B&Q

    Breakroom Rating based on 125 job reviews

    6.7/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Most people feel treated with respect by their managers

      Good

    • Most people feel stressed here

      Not great

    Best thing

    The team

    Team Leader, March 2020

    Worst thing

    The notice on shifts. The way the store is run. The underdeploment of staff...

    Showroom advisor, June 2020

    See what 125 people said
    about jobs at B&Q

  9. 9=

    Nando’s

    Breakroom Rating based on 132 job reviews

    6.6/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • Rarely. Most people don’t do unpaid extra work

      Good

    • People don’t get 4 weeks notice of when they’re working

      Bad

    Best thing

    The team, the perks and benefits

    Assistant manager, August 2020

    Worst thing

    Stress, were always busy, and managers have no concept of what we actually have to do

    Nandoca, December 2019

    See what 132 people said
    about jobs at Nando’s

  10. 9=

    Wagamama

    Breakroom Rating based on 52 job reviews

    6.6/10
    What is this?

    What is the Breakroom Rating?

    Close

    We’re different from other job review sites.

    Breakroom Ratings are a fair and objective measure of how good an employer is.

    Instead of giving us a personal opinion of their workplace, everyone on Breakroom answers the same set of questions about their job.

    This means we can measure what jobs are really like at an employer, and you can trust the Breakroom Rating to find out where’s best to work.

    • People don’t worry about getting enough hours

      Excellent

    • People don’t get 4 weeks notice of when they’re working

      Bad

    Best thing

    Staff food

    Chef, December 2019

    Worst thing

    Lack of upper support

    Assistant general manager, November 2019

    See what 52 people said
    about jobs at Wagamama

Want to learn more about these companies and part-time time work? Read on.

How many hours does a part-time worker work?

There are no rigid set hours for part-time work.

As a rule-of-thumb, full-time work is generally considered 35 hours or more a week. Anything below this is thought of as part-time work.

But what are the most common trends in part-time hours worked? Let’s take a look.

We asked workers on part-time contracts how many hours a week they work. This is what they shared:

Hours worked % of part-time workers working these hours
Under 16 6%
16-34 67%
35 or more 20%

As you can see, the majority of part-time workers work between 16-34 hours a week.

But do the hours worked match with the hours part-time workers are actually contracted for?

Additional hours worked % of part-time workers working these hours
Less than 8 67%
More than 8 32%

Part-time workers frequently work up to an additional 8 hours a week. These additional hours are more than they are contracted for.

If you start a part-time job, there is a good chance you may be offered additional hours on top of what you are contracted to work.

It should also be noted that 58% of part-time workers have reported that they do unpaid work.

So if you’re looking for a part-time job, keep the following companies in mind. They pay for any extra time you may end up working:

  • IKEA
  • Aldi
  • B&Q
  • Royal Mail
  • Wagamama
  • Pret A Manger

How much do part-time jobs pay?

As part-time work covers so many industries, types of jobs and shift patterns, there isn’t one set pay rate that covers all part-time work.

So to get some clarity around part-time pay, we’ve looked at some different factors that can affect it.

Firstly, we found the average pay per age group for part-time workers. We then compared them with the legal minimum wage.

Age group Average pay Minimum wage % difference
Under 18 £7.07 £4.55 +55%
18-20 £8.09 £6.45 +25%
21-24 £8.69 £8.20 +6%
25 and over £9.07 £8.72 +4%

As you can see, the younger you are, the bigger the difference between your pay and the minimum wage for your age group.

However, if you compare these averages with the Real Living Wage, it’s the opposite story.

The Real Living Wage (RLW) is calculated on the real cost of living in the UK. As of 2020, this is £9.30 across the UK, and £10.75 in London.

Age group Average pay Real Living Wage % difference
Under 18 £7.07 Only applies to people 18 and over Not applicable
18-20 £8.09 £9.30 -13%
21-24 £8.69 £9.30 -7%
25 and over £9.07 £9.30 +2%

In comparison to the RLW, the average pay for part-time work is lower.

It should be noted, although part-time workers may not be working full-time hours, they still deserve an hourly pay rate that fairly reflects the cost of living in the UK.

Secondly we looked at the pay rates for the companies that hire part-time workers.

The best paying companies for part-time work

Company Average part-time pay rate
Royal Mail £11.53
NHS £11.34
Aldi £10.26
Lidl £9.92
John Lewis & Partners £9.92
Amazon £9.79
Boots £9.45
Sainsbury’s £9.31
Morrisons £9.27
Tesco £9.26

Royal Mail and NHS are the clear winners here. Their average part-time pay rates exceed both the RLW and the RLW for London.

When it comes to part-time pay, it’s really worth looking around at different companies. There might be some similar jobs, where one company pays quite a bit more than another.

The Breakroom verdict on the best companies to work for part-time

There are many reasons why part-time jobs are the only viable work choice for some people. These vary from personal circumstances to what is currently available in the job market.

It’s therefore important that part-time workers are treated fairly.

Most part-time workers actually work more hours than they’re contracted for. The majority don’t get paid for any extra hours they work, and most earn on average under the Real Living Wage.

As such, the companies that employ part-time workers could do a lot to improve their Breakroom Rating. This includes:

  • Increasing the pay for part-time workers, so it is in line with the RLW.
  • Paying part-time workers for any extra work they do.
  • Asking their part-time workers if they’d like to have their contracted hours increased.

There are some outliers that are already taking some of these steps, including Aldi and IKEA. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done to really get the ball rolling.

The data used here is from 12 August 2020

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