Using Employees in a Shop Business

Last Updated: August 22, 2009

Employment

At some point it is likely you will need to employ someone to help you run the shop. The number (if any) of employees that you will need depends on many factors including the size, popularity, opening times and location of your shop. You should always consider decisions as important as employment carefully before going ahead.

Most small business owners are very dedicated to their business, and once an employee is trained, you need to trust them to get on with their job without watching over them.

In most shop situations there are three common types of employee; the management worker, the full time worker, and the part time worker.

The Part Time Worker

This is someone employed to work each week, but for a limited number of hours. They are not normally given a lot of responsibility, but are still useful for helping run the shop during busy times or when you or o ther employees are away.

The Full Time Worker

This is someone employed to work regularly in the shop. They are likely to have more responsibility than part time workers; but you would not normally leave them in charge of the shop if you were away.

The Management Worker

This is someone employed to work regularly in the shop, but also to cover your management duties if you are away. Management workers will normally expect higher pay than full time workers, and you need to be sure that you can trust them with the everyday running of your shop.

“You must meet all relevant employment laws and legislations …”

When you have employees, you must remember to meet all of the employment laws and legislation. They must be paid the minimum wage (Currently £5.05 for persons aged 22+, rising to £5.35 in October 2006) and must opt in to be allowed to work on Sundays.