How do part-time employee hours get affected during Holiday Season?

[Foxhound3857]

I recently started a new job to supplement my income, 2nd shift Picking at Nordstrom Fulfillment Center on Saturdays and Sundays, 16 hours a week. Generally I'm an independent contractor who does welding repair work for stainless steel kitchen equipment, but that's been quite slow lately, so I took this job to help shore up those lost hours, and outside of that I still have a decent amount of free time, enough to volunteer on tuesdays at my blood bank, and act as a caretaker for my grandmother on thursdays.

So far I like this job, enough to the point where I'm interested in extending my weekly shift an extra day, or taking overtime on my two existing days. What I'm worried about though, is my schedule being blindsided and suddenly going from 16-20 hours a week to 50-60 hours of week with no notice and no flexibility. I wouldn't be able to work a six day shift with my other obligations, and besides that, I never signed up for those kinds of hours in the first place.

If anyone works part time in a warehouse or fulfillment center, I'd like to know what their experience has been in regards to holiday season, how much of an increase they generally see in scheduled days and hours, so I can start planning ahead and be ready to make routine adjustments as necessary.

 

[low-key]

I recently started a new job to supplement my income, 2nd shift Picking at Nordstrom Fulfillment Center on Saturdays and Sundays, 16 hours a week. Generally I'm an independent contractor who does welding repair work for stainless steel kitchen equipment, but that's been quite slow lately, so I took this job to help shore up those lost hours, and outside of that I still have a decent amount of free time, enough to volunteer on tuesdays at my blood bank, and act as a caretaker for my grandmother on thursdays.

So far I like this job, enough to the point where I'm interested in extending my weekly shift an extra day, or taking overtime on my two existing days. What I'm worried about though, is my schedule being blindsided and suddenly going from 16-20 hours a week to 50-60 hours of week with no notice and no flexibility. I wouldn't be able to work a six day shift with my other obligations, and besides that, I never signed up for those kinds of hours in the first place.

If anyone works part time in a warehouse or fulfillment center, I'd like to know what their experience has been in regards to holiday season, how much of an increase they generally see in scheduled days and hours, so I can start planning ahead and be ready to make routine adjustments as necessary.

most companys will increase your hours as much as you want to work, but stopping short of 40 a week, cause then rules set in

 

[disneychrista]

I expect fulfillment centers to be very busy this holiday season. If you want FT hours I expect that you can get it.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I expect fulfillment centers to be very busy this holiday season. If you want FT hours I expect that you can get it.

But the question is, will it be offered voluntarily, do I have to ask for it, or will it just be forced on everyone with no notice and no concern for everyones schedule or life balance?

 

[disneychrista]

But the question is, will it be offered voluntarily, do I have to ask for it, or will it just be forced on everyone with no notice and no concern for everyones schedule or life balance?

I am sure every employer is different. These would be questions I would ask my supervisor.

 

[LilyWDW]

If you are in the US and not in Montana, you fall under at will employment. In other words, your job is free to say "This is your schedule." even if it means increasing your hours or changing the days and then firing you if you don't want to do it. During the holidays I would suspect that they will want increased hours, maybe even pushing you to full time. Hopefully you have a nice employer that checks with the employees before adding hours or days, but they don't have to.

 

[Foxhound3857]

My employer is Nordstrom Fulfillment Center. It said somewhere in my orientation handout that "every effort for adequate notice will be given when overtime is necessary, and, if possible, a request for volunteers will be issued beforehand."

 

[tvguy]

I can't answer your question, but I am surprised your normal gig is slow. You can't find anyone to do any kind of construction work or support of construction work here, business is booming. Businesses are using the time employees are out of the building to do work, and people working from home are using the time to get projects done at home. Good luck finding cement, all sold out.

 

[Foxhound3857]

My punchlists for repair work are actually okay, I mostly do repairs for fast food chains, Del Taco in particular. But that stuff is only supplementary. It's my hood and duct hanging jobs that are slow right now, because Covid has kept a lot of the restaurants I was contracted to work at from operating, so they're postponing until things start to normalize again.

 

[ndelaware]

At Amazon they let the employees know upon hiring that in the fall they would go from 40 hour weeks to 50 then a couple of weeks at 60 hours as the holidays got closer. Mandatory overtime required 24 hours notice, although often there was often voluntary overtime available.

Have you tried asking this question at work?

As to your comment of being "forced" to work overtime, they really can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Some guy named Lincoln ended that years ago

 

[disneychrista]

As to your comment of being "forced" to work overtime, they really can't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Some guy named Lincoln ended that years ago

No you can't be "forced" to work overtime but you can lose your job if you refuse.

 

[Foxhound3857]

Well, one of our department supervisors clarified things for me. Part-timers, seasonal and permanent, only have to come in their normal assigned hours, and anything beyond that they have to volunteer for or request. So unless that changes in the next two months, my schedule should remain the same throughout the holiday season.

That said, our entire building had two major power outages the last two days, and we got sent home early yesterday, so I volunteered to work on Labor Day to make up the hours, and they approved it.

Whether or not I get Holiday Pay (time and a half in California) as a part-timer, I don't know. Although I did read this:

When a part-time employee, with a regular schedule, works scheduled and unscheduled non-overtime hours on a holiday, they are entitled to holiday premium pay for all scheduled hours up to 8, and to their basic rate for all additional unscheduled hours which are not overtime hours.

I have a regular schedule, Saturdays and Sundays 1:30PM to 10:15PM, so I would assume holiday pay is a yes for me?

 

[disneychrista]

Whether or not I get Holiday Pay (time and a half in California) as a part-timer, I don't know. Although I did read this:

When a part-time employee, with a regular schedule, works scheduled and unscheduled non-overtime hours on a holiday, they are entitled to holiday premium pay for all scheduled hours up to 8, and to their basic rate for all additional unscheduled hours which are not overtime hours.

I assume this is from your employee manual? There is no holiday OT pay in California except as per company policy.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I assume this is from your employee manual? There is no holiday OT pay in California except as per company policy.

If not, that's fine. I still need to make up the hours for being shorted on saturday.

 

[ndelaware]

No you can't be "forced" to work overtime but you can lose your job if you refuse.

Yes, that will never change, but we still have the choice to work for that company our not.

 

[disneychrista]

Yes, that will never change, but we still have the choice to work for that company our not.

People say this but it isn't always that easy. Most times we are working because we NEED the income. Quiting over "forced" OT isn't always an option. Of course, one can look for new employment but that too isn't always easy.