2 contract with same employer

[WildWestWanda]

I work for a large employer and have a part time 16hr contract.

There is another part time job within a different employer that is 20hrs per week.

I have been told their not keen to employ one person on two separate contracts. I’ve contacted our HR department to ask why this is, I’m still waiting for an answer (their always painfully slow!)

Does anyone know why they would be reluctant to do this?

*not within a different employer! A different department

It's a pain for payroll, and it also requires more clerical monitoring in terms of sickness absence, annual leave and performance monitoring.

It's not impossible, but most of these functions are largely automated, and those processes generally assume an individual only works for one department/ cost centre.

Don't be surprised if HR deny that there's any issue with it, they'd be foolish to put that in writing.

It's because working 2 jobs for one employer counts as 'one employment' eg when calculating tax, date of joining (which is important eg in terms of many statutory rights), adhering to working time regulations etc.

Thank you both for your replies

It happens frequently in schools. I had 2 jobs within the same school. It is not impossible - but yes, probably more admin.

Presumably they'd have to do 2 lots of admin if they employ someone else to do the work?!

I did it for a yyear when working for a local authority. 4 days one job, one day the other.
This was within the same department, at the same level, same rate of pay, everything. Just a different area of focus.

I get occasional pension updateß that panic me, because apparently I have a separate - teeny - pension for that extra role which could not be rolled into my main role.

So separate contracts are definitely possible, but might be tricky for you.

The main job I have now is three days a week and when I was offered another actually quite different area of responsibility by the same emplyer for one day a week, one of my stipulations was that they would just vary my first contract up by a dayy rather than making it a separate contract.