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We’ve officially entered the holiday season, and with it comes a glut of temporary employment opportunities. But a lot of companies still aren’t sure how to treat their seasonal employees. Every year we hear horror stories of long hours, broken promises, and a general mistreatment of temporary staff. And that’s unfortunate, because seasonal employees can actually do a lot more for your company than simply help you keep up with increased sales. There are actually quite a few reasons to treat them like your regular, full-time employees.
Seasonal hiring tends to be treated a bit flippantly. You put out an ad, people show up, and you hire a few of them, without putting the same level of thought you’d put into a full-time hire. But you’re doing a serious disservice to your business if you hire in that fashion. You, and your potential hires, need to treat this position seriously. There is a reason you are looking for extra help, and it does cost money to hire and train new people. Treat the interview process like you would for any other hire, and look for the same traits you seek out in fulltime members of your staff. The quality of your eventual hires will be much, much higher.
It takes a lot of time and money to train a new hire. And this isn’t going to be the only time your company needs more people during the end of the year. Some people actually specialize in seasonal work, using it as an opportunity to get a bit of extra cash before doing their own holiday shopping. Obviously, you want these people to want to work for your company since they don’t need to be retrained, and they know how a seasonal arrangement works. But they won’t want to come back if you treat them like they’re disposable, simply because they’ll be gone by January. Treat them as well as your full-time staff, and they’ll happily come back.
I’ve always noticed that new staff members always come into the business with ideas. And I love that – when you work for a company long enough, it becomes hard to separate the forest from the trees, and new hires are really useful in getting fresh perspective. Seasonal employees, then, are a goldmine for business owners looking to get outside opinions. Better yet, seasonal staff migrate, and yours probably isn’t the first business they are helping out during the holidays. They may bring in some great ideas that you’ve never even thought of! Talk to your seasonal staff like you would any other team member. Ask them how they think the company is being run, and if they have anything they want to point out. That advice is seriously invaluable.
Yes, this seems a bit callous, and you should be nice for the sheer fact that it makes people happy. But studies do show that happier employees are way more productive. A joint-study by British and German universities found that happiness could boost productivity by 10-to-12%. Employees that feel as though they are treated well will also, in turn, want to better represent your company. And during the holidays, when you’re competing with tons of other businesses offering their own sales and discounts, having a happy, friendly staff is vital.
Honestly, you should treat your entire team, regardless of their employment status, with the respect and care you’d like to be treated with. But I understand that the holiday season is busy, and sometimes it can feel like seasonal hires are just there to help a few more customers, and that’s it. But, as I mentioned, you’re really missing out if you see them solely as a temporary source of help. Talk to seasonal hires like you would your normal employees, get their perspective, and treat them well; your business will be much better off for it.
Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com. MyCorporation is a leader in online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing start-up bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent, DBA, and trademark & copyright filing services. MyCorporation does all the work, making the business formation and maintenance quick and painless, so business owners can focus on what they do best. Follow her on Google+ and on Twitter @mycorporation.
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