The holidays are here!
Well, they are if you’ve been to any retail stores lately. It’s just past Halloween and yet retailers started decking their halls weeks ago.
This is nothing new to you, we know: you’re no doubt in the midst of last-minute holiday season hiring.
Consider hiring temporary workers via a staffing company to find great talent quickly.
The benefits are many:
- Temporary workers at this time of year offer you the flexibility to scale your workforce up or down as needed. When holiday sales surge beyond expectations, or cover for full-time team members’ holiday absences, temporary talent can fill critical roles quickly.
- Temporary staffing at this time of year helps you avoid costly “full-time” expenses such as health benefits, retirement contributions, paid leave, etc. What’s more, partnering with a staffing service also means you’ll save on recruiting and onboarding processes – and their costs.
- You can find true long-term gems in your temporary holiday workforce: many folks working for staffing companies bring exceptional skills and experience with them. Many of our clients have brought in temporary staff at different times of the year and often find that some of them make an excellent addition to their organizations. Many temporary workers often accept permanent opportunities when offered.
Building an inclusive and positive workforce when hiring for the holidays.
Holiday hiring means you’re bringing on talented individuals who will be working right alongside your permanent workforce. It’s important – particularly during the holidays, we’ve found – to ensure you provide an inclusive and welcoming workplace to your temporary talent.
- Include them in your holiday parties. Extending invitations to your temporary workforce to your company’s holiday gatherings will build a sense of camaraderie and belonging among all of your workers, no matter what their employment “status” is with you.
- Attendance bonuses truly go a long, long, LONG way to building your temporary staff members’ commitment and dedication. Consider offering robust attendance bonuses for those who come to work on time and stay until quitting time each day, for five days a week (or whatever number of days you require them to work). By “robust” we mean, not just movie passes (although these can be lovely to provide), but monetary. And make it worthwhile: $50 minimum for perfect attendance. If someone has perfect attendance during your full holiday season, provide a large bonus: $250 minimum. (Make sure to announce the bonus when they start working for you, of course.}
- Hold holiday-themed celebrations. Have dress-up days (with caveats regarding workplace attire safety). Have contests: the line teams that ALL wear reindeer hats all week win prizes, for example.
- Include your temporary workforce in gift-exchanges. This also should include “secret Santa” activities. Doing so shows that you consider them as valuable member of your team, thus enhancing their sense of belonging.
- Maintain open channels of communication with your temporary workers. The staffing company supplying them to you will do this of course, but you also should let them know that their feedback and input are valued.
Whether you’re just starting hiring for the holiday season or you need to fill some holes in your holiday workforce, Debbie’s Staffing can help.
We’ve been working with hundreds of clients during the holiday hiring season for decades. Contact us to learn more about staffing services.