Pets at Home is welcoming the ‘return of the Saturday job’ with the introduction of new fixed day/hour contracts for both new and existing colleagues, following an increase in demand for regular part-time roles to fit in around commitments outside work.

The new roles will be called Pet Care Assistants and will come with the same benefits as full-time Pet Care Advisor colleagues. They will be available for a minimum of four hours a week and will likely offer up to a maximum of eight hours each week, similar to the types of contracts associated with traditional Saturday jobs.

One of the key advantages of these new contracts is that they offer the flexibility for improved work-life balance with employees able to dictate their preferred working days and hours, supporting those who may have previously struggled with the unpredictability of traditional shift-based work such as students, carers, parents, and retirees.

These new roles will also help stores to provide additional support at weekends and busier periods, enabling Pet Care Advisors to have more time to focus on providing expert advice to customers resulting in both happier colleagues and improved service for loyal customers.

Jane Beresford, Group Director of People Partnering at Pets at Home, said: “We are delighted to be able to support both new and existing colleagues with the creation of the Pet Care Assistant role. We’ve listened to feedback and understand that the inability to determine your own working patterns and hours can be a barrier to entry to many.

"With this new permanent contract role, we look forward to welcoming even more pet lovers to join us in looking after the UK’s pets, without having to compromise on any of their commitments outside of work.”

There has already been a lot of interest in these roles from within the stores and demand is expected to increase as the new roles become available over the coming weeks.