The countdown to Christmas is well and truly on 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 talk to your NIJobs Account Manager here are our tips to help you get the most out of your seasonal hiring.
What are your needs
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
The competition for staff is fierce so it’s a tough job market for employers. 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 your hiring then do.
Training matters
If your business deals with the public then good customer experience will 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 will be more productive from the get-go
A rich talent pool
You’ve spent time sourcing and training your seasonal workers and they are familiar with your day to day operation. That makes them an incredibly valuable resource, a talent pool for your business. Once the holidays are over then stay in touch so you can let them know about any future opportunities you may have. Whether that is permanent positions or if they are students possible job openings over the summer months. Treat your seasonal staff well, provide them with a good employee experience and ultimately it will save you time, money and effort in your recruitment process.