The holidays are among the best days of the year if you are a shopper because almost everybody offers a special. But if you are a business owner, surviving the holidays can be a nightmare due to tricky inventory and staffing logistics. The holiday season unofficially starts on Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday can put added strain on regular employees, who have to work for extra hours because of the day’s extended shopping schedule. In some cases, the sale starts right at midnight on Thanksgiving, making for a marathon of a day.
(Pixabay / rawpixel)
Many business owners alleviate the staffing stresses by hiring temporary workers. Here are some things to consider when hiring temps for the holidays.
Hire early
There is not an endless supply of temp workers for the holidays. If you start your hiring process late, you will discover that there are few applicants left, if any. Hiring early will give you a better selection of employees.
Hire efficiently
In the past, companies advertised their employment needs in newspapers. It is different today as companies utilize social media and internet sites. These web-based postings often find their way to employees who will ultimately make better matches for your company.
Hire correctly
Hire the right employees. If you need additional help for the holidays, you must decide if you will be hiring regular employees or independent contractors. A regular employee needs to be included on your standard payroll and must receive unique company benefits. An independent contractor, on the other hand, does not. Rather, you will hire that person to render a particular type of service for a number of hours with the agreement that you will pay him or her a certain amount of money. You will have no other obligations to that employee.
Hire gracefully
Just because people will be working only briefly with your company doesn’t mean you can treat them as second-class workers. Happy employees make for productive companies.
Ensure that they undergo the same training that regular employees receive so they will be able to perform their duties properly. Your customers will notice if you do not invest in proper training for your seasonal staff.
If you treat seasonal workers well and empower them to perform their jobs, there is a strong chance that they will be back next year. Conduct an exit interview at the end of their term to provide feedback and invite them to join your company again in the future.
