For many businesses, the holiday season is a time of increased demand and heightened activity, necessitating the hiring of seasonal or temporary workers. While these short-term team members are invaluable in meeting customer needs, managing a sudden influx of new hires can be a daunting task. To ensure a smooth and successful operation, it’s essential for employers to master the art of managing seasonal or temporary teams effectively.
Here, Young Entrepreneur Council members offer practical tips and strategies for setting up these temporary workers, and the entire team, for success during the holiday rush. These tips will help employers navigate the challenges that come with seasonal staffing while maintaining service quality and customer satisfaction.
1. Create Detailed Processes With Checks And Balances
Our project managers are trained to handle temporary or seasonal workers, and we make it easier by defining a detailed process and checks and balances at each step. Also, we don’t hire temporary workers for crucial tasks. Most of the time, we hire temporary workers from a company so that they can do most of the management. – Piyush Jain, Simpalm
2. Create A Culture Of Open Communication And Inclusivity
Navigating the swell of business during the holiday season with a battalion of seasonal or temporary workers can indeed morph into a managerial tightrope. A tip that could anchor this voyage is fostering a culture of inclusivity and open communication from the outset. Much like their permanent counterparts, seasonal workers yearn for a sense of belonging and clarity in expectations. Kick-start their tenure with a warm, comprehensive orientation that spells out their roles and underscores their value in the larger organizational narrative. Encourage feedback and inquiries, and ensure there’s a clear channel for them to voice concerns or seek guidance. This nurturing environment will expedite their acclimation to the new setting and galvanize them to contribute more during their stint. – Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com
3. Streamline Your Onboarding And Training
Invest in streamlined onboarding and training. Full stop. Before the seasonal rush, prepare your materials, checklists and schedules. Make them easily accessible in digital format, if possible. Conduct an orientation session to introduce them to the company culture, policies and the team they’ll be working with. I’ve found offering training sessions on multiple days and times allows new employees to meet and learn as a group while accommodating conflicts. During these sessions, provide concise, role-specific training modules they can refer back to as needed. This is key! Pair them with experienced employees who can guide them during their initial days. Have short daily or weekly meetings to address questions or issues and provide feedback. Even your seasoned employees may find these useful. – Jon Clark, Moving Traffic Media, LLC
4. Communicate Clearly
One way to manage temporary or seasonal workers more effectively is by communicating effectively with your employees. Let them clearly know what you expect them to do as part of their job role. This will help them understand what they should be doing, and they will do their best to meet your expectations. – Andrew Munro, AffiliateWP
5. Put Your Company Values At The Center Of Your Materials
Start training by identifying your company values and how they are the North Star for how your business operates. Our firm values are integrity, efficiency, compassion and tenacity. We give examples of how those values are upheld along with hero and villain stories to show how we use those values to show up in our workplace. Then, have a good training model that is both written, on video and easily accessible so seasonal or temp workers have autonomy that is as easy as three-step instructions. It will take some time to build the foundations of a good training manual, but once it’s set up, the return on time spent will be worthwhile as you will no longer need to train employees with other employees’ time, and it can be done virtually or in a self-learn class setting. – Givelle Lamano, Oakland DUI Attorneys
6. Create A Buddy System
One way of managing a seasonal or temporary team and setting everyone up for success is to create a buddy system. In this system, you offer a work buddy to your seasonal workers. These buddies are your regular employees who are well aware of how things work in the company. They can help the new people understand things better by guiding them or assisting them if they need help. – Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite
7. Make Your Trainings Detailed, Yet Simple
Our seasonal employees are typically warehouse individuals. We set them up for success by providing detailed, simple training. This not only makes things easier on our managers but also makes the job role very clear for the temporary hires. Further, these training documents have weekly manager sign-offs to make sure the new hires are indeed performing the role effectively and efficiently. – Jeff Cayley, KETL Mtn. Apparel
8. Explain Your ‘Why’
Every seasonal employee must be told a few things, including why your company exists, what their personal role in that mission is (even if it’s a short-term mission) and why they should care about your company’s collective success. With this critical info as a North Star to guide them, they will be able to make an impact. Don’t leave it up to the employee to “catch on” or “figure it out.” Talk about these things while you’re hiring the employee, and then talk about them again—verbally and in writing—on their first day. – Brittany Hodak, Creating Superfans
9. Get To Know Each Team Member
Help them get comfortable with their work roles and workplace. Temporary workers who come for a short period may take time to adjust to the new workplace. Some may even feel intimidated. Managers can put some time into getting to know each team member, giving them a sense of trust, comfort and safety and providing them with a positive work environment so that they can do better at their roles. Listen to their concerns, encourage them to take work breaks and reward them for good work habits and the right attitude. Identify potential work conflicts before they arise and diplomatically handle difficult situations. Build a culture of trust, respect and appreciation within the team, as this will lead to a sense of responsibility, which often leads to better service. – Brian David Crane, Spread Great Ideas
10. Offer Incentives To Build Motivation
Temporary workers can definitely help businesses deal with a busy holiday season. One issue with this practice is that it can be challenging to keep seasonal workers motivated as they know that they will only be with you for a short time. Offering incentives for high performance can help to build motivation. You can do this by offering bonuses to top performers. Managers can also make it clear that outstanding seasonal employees are likely to be asked to return in the future. Such employees are also in a good position to apply for any full-time roles that may open up. Don’t make false promises, but communicate any potential future opportunities that are possible for seasonal temps who stand out. – Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
11. Invest In Technology-Driven Onboarding
My tip for managing a seasonal or temporary team is to invest in technology-driven onboarding. With the rise in remote and gig workers, leveraging digital onboarding tools can simplify and customize your hiring process. Virtual training and augmented reality simulations, for instance, can streamline learning and mimic real-life scenarios. Similarly, using team collaboration tools enhances communication across seasonal staff. So, you should embrace technology to propel your team toward success even during the busiest times. – Vikas Agrawal, Infobrandz
12. Meet With Your Seasonal Team Once A Week
You can set your seasonal team up for success by meeting with them once a week while they are with your company. Use this opportunity to share feedback and recognition and ask them how you can improve their experience. This strategy will create a positive environment for current seasonal employees and ensure that future hires have a memorable experience when you hire them for the holidays. – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
