What to Do Now That Your Summer Staff is Back in School

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By Bethany Gallea

Topics: Hiring

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What_to_Do_When_Your_Summer_Staff_Heads_Back_to_SchoolFall is here, which means you’re likely turning your attention to the fall hiring rush. Fall is peak hiring season in Canada, and you know you’re going to be busy.

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One of the reasons for this is often the influx of summer employees leaving their positions. If you hired any students for summer work with you over the past few months, they’re likely turning in their resignation notes and heading back to school or reducing their hours.

This can leave you scrambling to find people to fill these positions in your business. As your summer staff prepares to head back to school, you can take some of these steps to better prepare your business.


Begin Hiring and Training

If you can, try to beat the September rush by hiring as soon as possible. This creates an overlap between incoming trainees and outgoing workers. This also reduces any downtime you may experience.

By filling roles early, you can ensure continuity and the same level of productivity you’ve enjoyed all summer.

Be sure to hire and train enough people to help you through the fall season, especially if you’re in a business where production or demand increases in the fall.


Inquire about Co-Ops

Do any of your summer employees have work terms coming up? If so, you may be able to arrange a co-op with their school. This way, the student can remain with you and continue gaining experience, which also counts towards credits for their program of study.


Consider Temporary Workers and Contracts

If you’re going to have a busy period in the fall months, you may want to consider hiring some temporary workers or extended contracts for some of your summer staff. You may not be able to do this for all of your student workers, especially if you need someone to fill a full time position.

Temporary workers can be the solution to short-term hiring needs since they allow you to fill the gaps.


Maintain Relationships

If some of your summer students have left to go back to school, you may want to keep in contact or maintain a relationship with them. This is especially true if you believe you may want to hire them again next summer.

If a student asks you to provide a reference, you should do so, provided you can offer a good one. You can also ask to keep their resume and contact details on file, and ask for permission to contact them if a suitable position opens up.

This can help you the next time you need to hire, especially if you’re looking for temporary help around the holiday season or for next summer.


Be Prepared for Peak Hiring Season

As mentioned, fall is the busiest season for hires. By taking some or all of these steps, you can be better prepared to deal with a temporary reduction in your workforce.

Saying goodbye to summer staff doesn’t have to mean a reduction in your productivity. Follow these steps and you’ll be better prepared for the fall.


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Bethany Gallea

I’m the Regional Business Manager of Liberty Staffing Services in Woodstock. I am an experienced manager with over 10 years of customer service, client relations, health and safety, and staffing experience. I have combined experience and training from retail, food and beverage, and staffing industries.

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