Many businesses deal with increased demand during the holidays and need to find the labor to help deliver the goods quickly. Especially in specific industries like retail, delivery logistics, and seasonal recreation, businesses need to have a plan for how to fill holiday staffing needs.
.png)
PLAN AHEAD
In hiring holiday employees, you want to plan ahead. It helps to have a relationship with a staffing agency because they are experts in finding you quality employees that have the skills you need to get you through the holiday season. The sooner you can prepare your job descriptions and determine your staffing levels, the easier it will be to fill those roles quickly.
KNOW THE LAW
However, before you release the job description and rework your budget to bring on more employees, you will want to understand the laws and regulations of hiring seasonal employees. Here are three essential factors to keep in mind.
- Labor laws apply to temps- Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), all employees have equal rights in minimum wage, child labor, overtime pay, harassment, discrimination, and safety.
- You still provide certain benefits- Although it varies by state, businesses are still required to assist with medical care, social security, Workers’ Comp, and unemployment.
- Tax withholding- Keep in mind that temporary employees are subject to the same tax withholding laws that apply to your other employees.
UTILIZE LOCAL EMPLOYEES
When recruiting for the holidays, a staffing agency can help target local candidates- ones who are on a break from school, close by, can be there when you need last minute coverage, and possibly even have solid connections to your customer base. Posting your job description on Craigslist, in the local newspaper, or sponsoring community events can help get the word out about your holiday labor needs.
MORE ON HOW TO HIRE EMPLOYEES DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Along with posting your positions locally, leveraging your company’s social media pages with job opportunities is a great way find a pool of possible candidates who already like and engage with your business (LinkedIn is a great networking website to recruit employees).
Your current full-time employees can help bring in great temporary people as well. According to Hiring Insights by iCIMS, 88 percent of businesses believe that employee referrals bring in the best new employees. Since people are like the company they keep, asking your top performers if they can recommend any peers to fill temporary roles can mitigate your hiring risk. Those holiday employees are most likely to fit in better with your company culture, and you can give the recruiters extra incentives or bonuses for bringing in those quality people.
As we go into the holiday season, following these steps should help in how to fill seasonal jobs. However, a staffing agency is also a great resource to get help your business get to its preferred employment levels.