How To Find Seasonal Workers That Will Make Quality Employees
It’s a predicament that a lot of business owners find themselves in- certain times of the year you get more business than your current staff can handle alone.
Maybe it’s over the holiday season, or the summer, and you find yourself stepping in more yourself to keep things running smoothly.
But you’re hesitant to hire on new employees because you aren’t sure if you will need the extra staff once the busy season dies down.
The good news is, there is a solution. Enter the seasonal employee.
This unique staff member is hired on for a predetermined amount of time, and is ready to help out in whatever capacity you need during your busiest time of year.
But, what if you lose a full time staff member?
Or your business continues to grow even after the holidays?
Or you decide that you need to spend more hours a week at home?
Could a seasonal employee turn into a great full time staff member?
The beauty of hiring a seasonal worker is that you can try things out without making a solid commitment up front.
“Because seasonal workers are employed for a short period of time, use your peak season to test out employees.
If you like an employee during your busy months, you can offer them extended employment for off seasons. And for employees who don’t work out, let them go at the end of the season.”
Today we will share tips that will help you put careful thought into who you hire as your seasonal staff. If you follow this guide, your business will be set up for success no matter what the future holds.
Ask About Their Intentions From Day One
When you first interview for a seasonal hire, be sure to ask how long your prospect is able to commit to the job.
If the candidate is only visiting from out of state for 6 weeks, they may make great temporary help, but they’ll be unable to help you in the future should a need for extra staffing arise.
This is important to keep in mind, because while you may not be ready to commit to a full time hire now, you might have a need for one in the future.
Hiring someone fulltime who has already worked in your business (like a seasonal staff member) will save you a lot of time and effort.
For more tips on finding and training your seasonal staff quickly, check out this guide.
Look For Commitment
It’s not uncommon for seasonal workers to have less drive than a new fulltime hire.
Sometimes these temp workers are quite used to jumping from one short term job to the next, so they may not be fully invested in your company.
That being said, if you find that your seasonal hire is going above and beyond to learn your business, this is a good indicator that they are interested in staying on full time.
It’s likely that this kind of dedicated employee would be a great asset to you.
Infinity Staffing is here to help you recruit committed staff – find out how here.
Make An Evaluation
You can’t predict the future. When the terms of your seasonal hire are up, you may find that you don’t have the business to sustain another full time employee, even if you really liked their work ethic.
The good news is, you now have a contact who knows your business that you can reach out to in the future when more seasonal or full time work becomes available.
Then again, if this worker really impressed you and you have the capacity to bring on a permanent part time or full time employee, don’t let them go!
Validity Screening solutions says,
“With a permanent employee, you hope to see a return on this investment through the longevity of their employment with your organization.
But with a seasonal employee you may be stuck eating that cost each and every time a new seasonal worker steps into your training program.”
In this way, if you think you’ll continue to need seasonal help throughout the year, it may be better just to take on another permanent staff member.
The hard work of interviewing and training is done for you, and a good seasonal employee will likely turn into a great permanent employee.