5 Strategies for Integrating Seasonal Employees into Your Workforce

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By Lorna Faires

Topics: Hiring

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5_Strategies_for_Integrating_Seasonal_Employees_into_Your_WorkforceHiring seasonal employees is a great way to fill in for summer vacations and manage increased customer service demands. However, summer is now here, and businesses have a short time frame in which to onboard seasonal employees and make them effective team members. Here, we discuss five strategies that will help the onboarding process run smoothly.

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1. Offer Possibilities for Learning and Advancement

Many students in college and university are looking for seasonal work when they head home for a break. To attract students to your organization, remember that this age group is looking to be engaged and learn new skills. They’re not just in it for the paycheque. Many students will be interested in the possibility of advancement within a company and being able to return year after year. Those who have graduated may be interested in turning the temporary job into permanent employment. Offering these opportunities will help engage your temporary workers.


2. Focus on Training

Temporary employees need the same amount of manager commitment and training as full time employees. You can create a lasting onboarding impression by creating a seasonal training program that is well balanced and time sensitive. For temporary workers, spaced training is recommended as opposed to frontloading training into the first day of work.

Frontloading all the training into the first day leaves seasonal employees with little skill development to look forward to. Cramming all the information into one day also lowers overall retention levels; employees quickly forget almost everything they learned. With spaced training, information is broken down into small pieces that can be taught along a specific schedule. A great way to employ this type of training is to use mobile training apps to start the onboarding process before a new employee’s first day. These apps also track performance, making it easier for you to reward top performers.


3. Reward Top Performers

Assess your seasonal employees’ training and development and reward top performers for their efforts. In doing so, talented employees will be more likely to return for more work and recommend your organization to other great candidates.

It is important to set clear guidelines and metrics to measure performance so that great work can be easily rewarded. Rewards can come in the form of monetary incentives, but there are also many non-monetary ways you can reward seasonal workers. You can show appreciation and drive engagement by expanding top performers’ responsibilities and welcoming their ideas and suggestions.


4. Partner Seasonal Employees with Permanent Workers

Seasonal workers will likely need clarification of duties and they will have questions as they work throughout the season. Pairing seasonal workers with someone who has been working at your company longer will be a huge advantage to keeping seasonal workers on track and being able to answer quick questions as they arise, leading to fewer mistakes overall.


5. Make Seasonal Employees Part of the Team

Seasonal employees are a valuable part of your company and should feel as though they belong to your company just as much as permanent employees. If possible, include them in all team meetings, company events, and organization-wide incentives. Fostering a feeling of camaraderie among your new temporary employees will increase your chances of re-hiring great workers again next season.

When your busy season comes around again, you won’t be starting hiring from scratch; you will have a list of interested and motivated employees to potentially hire. Creating a workplace where all employees feel like part of the team also helps generate a great employer brand that will attract more seasonal workers to your company in years to come. People will come to know your company as a great place to work where seasonal employees are valued.


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Lorna Faires

I have over 15 years of experience in the staffing industry, in a management role. I possess a strong background in recruitment, screening, and connecting candidates with the right employment opportunities. I love all animals, but especially my 3 dogs. Hiking and canoeing are my passions, and getting out into nature and being unplugged is my favourite way to spend my vacations.

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