Seasonal staffing solutions for your business
Summer is fast approaching and with it comes another busy season for companies in a variety of industries. PeopleReady shares six tips that can help you avoid a summer staffing shortage this season.
- Reward your team for their achievements
- Consider bringing back last season’s workers
- Explore cross-training opportunities
- Offer a variety of scheduling options
- Expand your recruiting efforts to underrepresented groups
- Look into partnering with a staffing agency
Reward your team for their achievements
Retaining your current workforce is the first step to preventing a staffing shortage. That’s why it’s more important than ever to ensure your employees feel happy, motivated and appreciated. Start by checking in regularly and asking for their input on decisions that impact their work. This sets the foundation for open communication and makes workers feel respected and valued.
Even small gestures can have a big impact on employee morale. You can also offer perks and incentives — like happy hours, game nights or weekly lunches — to help boost morale and employee retention. Other ways to show your appreciation include helping workers with ongoing expenses such as offering bus passes, gas cards or free parking.
Consider bringing back workers from last season
On average, it takes four to six weeks to hire a full-time employee, according to a LinkedIn report. If you take four to six weeks to hire this summer, your business could struggle to meet staffing demands. Plus, a full-time hire may not always be the best option depending on your future outlook.
You can solve your summer staffing shortage without breaking your budget by calling on those who know your business best: Last year’s seasonal workers. They know what it takes to get the job done and can provide the support you need without the usual hiring hassles of onboarding.
Explore cross-training opportunities
During your busiest times, looking to your current workforce for additional support can have a big impact. Team members may possess certain skills and experiences suitable for different roles. Someone with an outgoing personality may have what it takes to succeed in a frontline position, for example.
Cross-training can have a positive impact on your recruitment and retention efforts as well. A PwC study notes that 77% of workers are interested in expanding their skillset or completely retraining for a different role. Meanwhile, 48% of workers would switch to a new job if offered training opportunities, according to a Gallup survey.
When it comes to your summer staffing goals, cross-training offers the best of both worlds. Promoting your training opportunities can help attract more applicants to your company. Meanwhile, your team members chosen for these opportunities will feel more valued knowing that you are invested in their career development.
Offer flexible scheduling options
According to a Gartner report, flexibility is the primary reason that job seekers are looking for a new job. As a result, more companies are adopting flexible scheduling models to attract and retain workers.
Adapting your scheduling methods to accommodate your team can help support your staffing needs through the summer. Some of these flexible staffing options include:
- Flextime: Workers choose their own start and end times provided they are still on-site for set core hours.
- Self-scheduling: Workers select their own shifts on a first come, first serve basis.
- Shift work: Your workforce is split so employees do the same job on different rotations, still allowing you to meet deadlines.
- Staggered hours: Workers begin and end their shift at different times, allowing them to make appointments or run errands.
Staffing flexibility can help you attract new candidates and create a staffing plan that fills gaps in your workforce this summer season and beyond.
Expand your recruiting efforts to underrepresented groups
When it comes to summer hiring, you can broaden your horizons to include a wide variety of job seekers. Targeting underrepresented groups in your recruitment efforts can help your business account for unplanned absences or rapid business growth. Some examples of seasonal workers who might be able to support your business:
- Recent high school graduates and college students who are looking to make extra money or explore their career options
- People switching careers who are looking to find career advancement options, or a better work-life balance
- Working parents and caregivers who are seeking flexible jobs that allow them to fulfill family responsibilities
- Military veterans who want to transfer their skills into the civilian job market
Keep in mind that if the performance of your seasonal workers is strong, they can become permanent members of your team. That way you’ll prevent seasonal staffing shortages and ensure your productivity year-round.
Look into partnering with a staffing agency
Being understaffed can cause a lot of problems for your business and negatively impact your current workforce as well. They may experience increased stress and reduced productivity, according to a study from the Society of Human Resource Management. Even worse, it can lead to more workers leaving for other jobs.
So, how do you ensure that you always have access to the workers you need? If filling open roles is an ongoing challenge, a staffing agency can provide summer staffing solutions with easy access to seasonal staff for your open roles. Even better, they can provide the workers you need, whether it’s a single person at one location, or an entire workforce across multiple jobsites.
How PeopleReady supports your summer hiring needs
PeopleReady can help you solve your seasonal staffing shortage this summer or at any time of year. Our teams serve hundreds of markets across the U.S., supporting employers across a variety of industries. For example:
- General labor staffing
- Construction staffing
- Event staffing
- Hospitality staffing
- Retail staffing
- Warehouse staffing
- And more!
With our dedicated team of experts and our JobStack app on your side, you’ll have access to job seekers in your local area who are available right away.
