All businesses experience peak times. For retail outlets, it is the holiday period; for warehousing firms, it is the time of many orders; for hospitality businesses, it is their peak season; and for logistics, there is a sudden increase in demand. Whatever the business sector, the problem remains the same. It is the requirement of additional staff in a hurry, but for a limited period only.
Although the use of seasonal staffing allows businesses to respond to increasing demands, the management of temporary workers is not always an easy task.
But the best part is that all these challenges can be easily prevented. If you have a proper seasonal workforce management plan, then you will always be ready to act rather than waiting for the last moment. Even a little bit of planning can do wonders for your business by helping you create an efficient and effective team of workers.
Let’s talk about some helpful tips on how to manage your seasonal workforce.
Plan Before the Rush Season Starts
One of the biggest mistakes that business owners make is beginning the recruitment process when the season has begun, and demand is already rising, making it difficult to find qualified candidates since they might be working elsewhere already.
Good planning of seasonal workers requires an analysis of previous years and the staffing requirements. You should ask yourself such questions as:
- Which weeks were the busiest?
- How many temporary workers were required?
- In which departments was there a staff shortage?
- Were some workers leaving before the season ended?
- Which problems affected your operations?
This helps to estimate your staffing requirements correctly instead of guessing.
Then you have to make a schedule based on your estimates of staffing requirements. Considering that recruitment, interviewing, conducting a background check, and onboarding can take several weeks, it’s necessary to start this process in advance. Companies that start to prepare early operate better and don’t experience a lack of staff.
Another thing to take into account is the turnover of employees since not all temporary workers are going to finish their contract term. It’s better to have a small extra number of employees hired.
Hiring the Right People
While rapid recruitment is crucial during seasonal hiring, hiring the wrong people might be more expensive than investing some more time to get the right people onboard.
Employees without a good track record will need extra supervision, commit more errors, and quit working just a couple of days into their jobs. As a result, managers have to go through the recruitment process once more despite having a lot on their hands.
Rather than concentrating solely on available applicants, search for people who are dependable and eager to learn.
Several easy-to-implement measures that will help to recruit better:
- Create an accurate job description including schedule, duties, and term of contract.
- Describe physical requirements of the position.
- Ask about weekend/holiday/late night availability directly.
- Give preference to reliability and attitude over experience.
- Decide between hiring quickly before best applicants accept offers elsewhere.
Professional seasonal staffing services are an effective way to solve the problem when your HR department does not have enough time to handle many applications at the same time. Seasonal staffing partners conduct all the recruitment work for you.
Develop an Efficient and Concise Onboarding Process
Seasonal workers don’t have the luxury of spending weeks learning how to do the work. The majority will need to be productive within just a few days.
This does not mean that onboarding needs to be quick and sloppy. On the contrary, limit onboarding to necessary information only.
Your onboarding must include:
- Safety procedures in the workplace
- Duties of the job
- Policies of the company relevant to their position
- Procedures related to clocking in and payroll
- Whom to go to for questions or assistance
Do not overwhelm them with unnecessary presentations or lessons about the history of your company. They can get that later.
Assigning each new hire an experienced co-worker for the first couple of shifts works wonders. They feel more comfortable and confident, pose questions, and avoid mistakes.
A single sheet with all the procedures, contacts, and information about the workplace helps the new hires be independent and not seek help from managers all the time.
Make Your Temporary Employees Feel Engaged
Many temporary employees feel alienated right from day one. The more an employee feels excluded, the less he or she will engage with the workplace.
The good news is that you don't need expensive perks to create a positive experience.
Small things matter greatly:
- Use employees' names.
- Include temporary workers in your team meetings.
- Praise their good performance on the spot.
- Provide them with schedules as early as possible.
- Foster a culture of openness.
- Thank your employees for a hard day at work.
Consistent schedules are essential for seasonal workers since many of them juggle several jobs or personal responsibilities at once.
If you want high-performing temporary employees to get permanent positions, let them know about the possibility of doing so. People usually perform better if they have something to look forward to.
If you have no such positions to offer, it is wise to be honest from the very beginning.
FAQ’s
When should businesses start to hire seasonal workers?
Companies should start hiring for seasonal work six to eight weeks prior to the peak season. Those businesses that have extensive background checks should allocate extra time for proper training of the employees.
Is overtime cheaper than hiring seasonal workers?
Overtime is definitely cheaper when we are talking about a short period. However, long-term overtime results in worker exhaustion, low productivity, and increased labor costs, thus making hiring of seasonal workers a better solution.
What is the biggest mistake companies make?
The main mistake is that they don’t treat the temporary staff as their permanent workers. Poor training, lack of proper communication, and inconsistent scheduling become the reasons for excessive turnover.
Should companies recruit on their own or use an agency?
Direct recruitment gives you better control if the HR department has enough resources. Still, in case of massive recruitment processes, it is better to go for seasonal staffing services.
Conclusion
Being in charge of temporary employees does not have to be a challenge. All it takes is proper planning, good hiring practices, appropriate onboarding, and ensuring that a good work environment is created right from the first day.
With the seasonal workforce management tips given here, companies will be able to remain organized during even their busiest periods by having a proven process to guide both the managers and the workers.
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