Recruiting and Retaining Employees in a Seasonal Environment
RECRUITING AND RETAINING EMPLOYEES IN A SEASONAL ENVIRONMENT
November 1, 2011
Many organizations do not have the luxury of having a constant demand in their businesses. Some companies face a large increase in business for the holiday season, summer vacation, or for a major event throughout the year. These predictable trends allow many businesses to hire additional employees to help with the demand. The organizations are then forced to lay several employees off when the demand returns to a normal level.
This paper focuses on where organizations with a large increase in seasonal demand can recruit new employees and what programs they can create to help increase employee retention. Solutions include working with temporary staffing agencies, creating a counter-seasonal employee exchange program, and developing incentives to motivate employees to return for multiple seasons.
Seasonal Trends
Many businesses do not have a flat demand curve throughout the year. Some businesses have an increase in demand during specific holidays, weather, economic, or other factors. When demand increases, businesses need to meet that demand by either increasing hours worked by current employees or by adding temporary employees for the duration of the spike in demand. It is the job of the manager or owner to know the effects of seasonality and to have an effective plan in place to counter the demands. Temporary employees are an essential part to the overall success of any business that has an abnormally large workload due to seasonality. Following trends in specific industries, weather, and through news channels can help any hiring manager develop a clear picture of what to expect in the future. Having the right employees in the right places at the right time dramatically increases the competitive advantage of a firm.
Temporary Staffing Agencies
Many seasonal workers can be found through various online websites and agencies. Strategies vary depending on what type
November 1, 2011
Many organizations do not have the luxury of having a constant demand in their businesses. Some companies face a large increase in business for the holiday season, summer vacation, or for a major event throughout the year. These predictable trends allow many businesses to hire additional employees to help with the demand. The organizations are then forced to lay several employees off when the demand returns to a normal level.
This paper focuses on where organizations with a large increase in seasonal demand can recruit new employees and what programs they can create to help increase employee retention. Solutions include working with temporary staffing agencies, creating a counter-seasonal employee exchange program, and developing incentives to motivate employees to return for multiple seasons.
Seasonal Trends
Many businesses do not have a flat demand curve throughout the year. Some businesses have an increase in demand during specific holidays, weather, economic, or other factors. When demand increases, businesses need to meet that demand by either increasing hours worked by current employees or by adding temporary employees for the duration of the spike in demand. It is the job of the manager or owner to know the effects of seasonality and to have an effective plan in place to counter the demands. Temporary employees are an essential part to the overall success of any business that has an abnormally large workload due to seasonality. Following trends in specific industries, weather, and through news channels can help any hiring manager develop a clear picture of what to expect in the future. Having the right employees in the right places at the right time dramatically increases the competitive advantage of a firm.
Temporary Staffing Agencies
Many seasonal workers can be found through various online websites and agencies. Strategies vary depending on what type
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