BPOs get creative amid Honduras’ part-time ban
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS — Several Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providers have resorted to “creative ways” to bypass the outlawing of part-time jobs in the country.
Levanter Group President and Managing Partner Michael Nasser told Nearshore Americas they converted their per-hour employees to temporary contract workers to retain them in the firm.
“We would hire them under a permanent contract but pay them the equivalent of what an hourly rate would be under full-time. So they get paid the same amount, but knowing they would work only 30 hours,” explained Nasser.
Last year, the Honduran government repealed a law that regulated part-time and hourly employees. The decree justified the repeal by stating that it helped avoid the erosion of job security, workers’ wages, and labor rights.
However, Jessica Handal, Senior Counsel at law firm Dentons, said the repeal impacted “industries such as hotels and restaurants, call centers and businesses which, by their nature, need to operate for more than 12 hours a day.”
Handal added that employers had to cost-cutting measures — such as layoffs — to cover those new salaries and benefits.
Industry experts expect these layoffs and the lost job opportunities from the part-time ban to impact the Honduran population and economy.
Meanwhile, others are still hoping for the restitution of part-time employment after Honduras’ Liberal Party drafted a new bill addressing the issue.
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