Workers in New Jersey might wonder how many hours they need to work in a week to be considered to be full-time workers. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not provide any laws that define full-time work. Instead, this determination depends on each company’s policy and practices other than the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The employment lawyers at Swartz Swidler can explain the industry standards in New Jersey and how they apply to full-time employees.
Traditional full-time standard
Traditionally, employees who work 40 hours per week are considered to be full-time workers. However, many employers designate employees who work fewer hours as full-time workers. Companies determine the number of hours per week that are considered to be full-time. Full-time workers are likelier to receive benefits such as health insurance, sick pay and vacation time, and employer-provided retirement plans that part-time workers do not receive. Employers are not required to provide benefits to workers beyond those that are mandated by the law.
Full-time vs. part-time work
Some companies allocate more jobs as part-time so that they won’t have to pay benefits. Employers may also offer more part-time jobs during recessions. Women are likelier to be designated as part-time workers than men.
The Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act defines full-time employment as working 30 hours or more during the workweek. Employers who have 50 or more workers must offer health benefits to full-time workers under the ACA.
Regulations pertaining to hours worked
There is not a universal definition of full-time work. Individual companies can set their own standards for their employees. The Fair Labor Standards Act mandates that non-exempt workers are paid an overtime premium for hours that they work beyond 40 in each week.
Company policies define the number of hours that employees are supposed to work. In general, most employers define full-time work as ranging from 35 to 40 hours per week.
At start-up companies, full-time work might be anything it takes to complete a job. The informal expectations that employers might have may differ substantially from the minimum number of hours that are required to be classified as full-time at a company. People should ask potential employers about the number of hours that they will be required to work when they are offered jobs.
Contact Swartz Swidler
If you have questions about whether you should be classified as a full-time worker for benefits purposes, you might benefit by talking to an employment lawyer. Contact Swartz Swidler today to learn more.
