A good friend and part time employee of mine has worked for me for five years. He's good at what he does, but unfortunately (1) work is drying up, (2) he lacks the skills to run the business himself.
He works as an administrative assistant in my small IT business, and he spreads his 16 hours about across the week as he is well enough to work. He has fibromyalgia, has had a heart attack, and is generally unwell.
The problem is, neither of us have any idea what he might do when the business finally closes. Even relevant work from home jobs seem to require set hours. It really isn't possible for him to commit to defined hours.
Working for me, it doesn't really matter when he completed tasks, only that they're done within the week. We can't think of any similar jobs.
Incidentally, the benefits people are completely unhelpful. Working for me appears to have put him at a disadvantage as they say that because he can work, even random hours, he is capable and shouldn't get any benefits related to his poor health...!
I'm trying to keep him on for as long as it's possible, but now that I am a contractor for someone else myself, the small business will eventually die.
Suggestions as to suitable jobs, or ways of handling the benefits people, appreciated.