The countdown to Christmas has well and truly begun and, with Covid restrictions currently at their lightest, this year is shaping up to be exceptionally busy for retail and hospitality businesses. Hiring temporary staff is a quick and cost-effective way to help your business manage the increased demands of the festive season. Before you pick up the phone to your Jobs.ie Account Manager here are four tips to help you get the most out of your seasonal hiring.
Think about what you need
Carefully consider your hiring requirements. How many additional people do you need? Do they need training? What hours will they work and how long do you intend to keep them in position. Planning is essential. You need to give yourself enough time to advertise your roles interview and train your seasonal hires. When it comes to recruitment, seasonal or otherwise, preparation is key.
Keep it short
Today’s job market is tough for employers. The competition for staff is fierce. A long drawn out recruitment process can work against you so think about how you can reduce the time to hire. Could a quick phone call help you screen out candidates before you meet them face to face? Can you enlist the help of somebody else on your team to process applications? Could you build in a quick skills assessment to reduce the need for a second interview? If you can speed up how you hire then do.
Provide training
If your business deals with the public then good customer experience has to be a priority for you. Let’s be honest, Christmas in retail or hospitality can be stressful so your seasonal staff need to be able to handle any situation. Training takes time but it is worth the effort. Workers who know what they are doing and are familiar with the way your business operates can be productive from the get-go.
Build a talent pool
You’ve spent time sourcing and training your seasonal workers and they are familiar with how your business operates. That makes them an incredibly valuable resource, a talent pool. Once the holidays are over, stay in touch so you can let them know about any future opportunities you may have. Permanent positions perhaps, or if they are students whether you will have openings over the summer months. Treat your seasonal staff well, provide them with a good employee experience and in the long term it will save you time, money and effort in your recruitment process.
