Should I describe the part-timers I have to deal with? OK, here we go.
I have inferred from your posts that you are in a position of hiring members of your team. If this is the case, then why not fire the elderly woman if she is not "pulling her weight"? More interestingly, why hire her in the first place?
Also, for some people, work
is just an obstacle on the road to adventure in someone's life. Work, for some, is not the be-all and end-all of existence: some people really
do live for the weekend and don't give a shit about work. I have no problem with that per-se, and neither should you. I was very much like that myself in my youth, but as someone who runs my own business it is very important I identify these people and allocate their role in the team accordingly to make the best use of their capabilities.
As for part-timers, they can be incredibly useful in providing short-term relief during a busy period, or where there is not sufficient demand to hire them permanently. Part timers can be very useful to a business, but I would certainly not make them part of a team connected with an important project where their employment status would be at odds with their ability to do the job.
If you are in the position of hiring/firing individuals or even building a team, then it seems you have been mis-allocating resources and getting it wrong. If you're not in that position, then I'm afraid you'll have to put up with whatever your boss tells you to do.
Something you'll
never need to do if you're self employed.
I'm with Robrenz - best wishes to Chris!