Managing Seasonal Employees
During seasonal upswings, many businesses find their temporary team members to be indispensable. The extra boost of productivity that a seasonal team can bring often makes the difference between a profitable season and a disaster. However, managing seasonal employees can pose some unique challenges. Here are four quick tips to help you get the most out of your temporary workforce this year:
Focus on Training: Even though they are temporary, seasonal employees must still be trained to your highest standards in order to avoid a dip in quality, speed of production, etc. Take the time to develop a robust training regimen that is focused solely on what the employee will be working on during their time with your company in order to maintain your standards of excellence.
Treat Them Like Everyone Else: Sure, they are only around for the season, but the presence of temporary associates can cause some issues among your full-time workforce if you treat them preferentially, or vice-versa. Remember, seasonal workers serve a vital purpose, so be sure to treat them with the same respect as your permanent team.
Make Your Expectations Clear: Just like with your permanent staff, if you allow your seasonal workers to try to do their jobs without clear expectations you are setting yourself up for trouble. No matter the job be sure that associates receive a description of their duties in writing as well as consistent, useful feedback from the management team.
Stay Connected: Just because the assignment ends don’t mean that you should forget your seasonal team. Stay connected with your best workers, either via social media or through other channels, so that you can potentially bring them on during the next seasonal upswing or lure them to your team full-time!
Though managing a seasonal workforce requires some extra care, the benefits of sourcing and hiring talented temporary staff can be tremendous for businesses experiencing an upswing in demand. If you need help finding the right talent this season visit AtWork.com/locations to find an AtWork location near you today!
