Are you recruiting this festive season?
The festive season is fast approaching and for many industries that means an increase in business and the need to hire new staff. For businesses like high street retailers and distribution centres, this is essential, especially when Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Christmas and New Year sales are just around the corner.
This year, the likes of Amazon are predicting that they will take on around 20,000 seasonal workers in the UK to cope with the rise in demand, especially in the run up to Christmas.
It’s the same for most distribution companies and whether you’re looking to hire 20 extra staff or 200, they all help to maintain consistent customer service and ensure that you meet your demand.
Not all businesses can afford to take on new staff in the run up to and during Christmas but you should consider the pros and cons of taking on staff on a temporary basis for seasonal work. If you’re thinking of hiring staff for the festive period you might like to consider the pros and cons below.
While taking on extra staff comes with some drawbacks like extra training and an increased payroll, the benefits are far greater. By increasing your workforce, you can maintain standards and ensure the smooth running of your business during this busy period.
Pros and Cons
Pro – You save time and money
When you advertise for seasonal employees, you’ve already decided what hours they will work, how many days they will work and how much you’ll pay them. So, you don’t need to worry about promotions, benefits or salary increases unless you decide to take them on permanently after the festive period ends.
You might also find it’s quicker to recruit during this time. Students and young people in particular are always enthusiastically looking for temporary work at this time of year. They’ll be available for interview quickly and can start at short notice.
Con – Workplace interaction takes a hit
Unfortunately, at busy periods socialising always takes a hit. We’re not saying that employees should have 30 minute breaks in the kitchen to make a brew, but banter among your staff will improve the atmosphere. If your employees are happy, your customers will feel the benefit.
If new co-workers turn up at certain times of the year for short periods of time, it’s understandably going to affect morale. It’s a juggling act to make sure that your new temporary employees don’t feel like they’ve just been brought in to fill the gaps. The end result is that your customers are happy and if everyone works together – both employees and management – this will be achieved.
Con – You get less value for money
Seasonal recruitment does have monetary benefits but these only show in the short term. But even though they may be with you for a short time, you will still have to consider the cost of training them to ensure they are ready for the job.
Statistics show that it can cost more than £30,000 to replace a member of staff. Obviously, this is related to permanent employees, so it is important to make the effort to train and retain staff for long periods. Employing on a temporary to permanent basis can help with this – it gives you the flexibility to get the best from temporary staff.
For a lot of industries, seasonal fluctuations in workload can’t be avoided and hiring seasonal workers is unavoidable. But if you carefully consider the pros and cons and plan correctly, you can end up with engaged and enthusiastic temporary staff working seamlessly with happy full-time staff.
Here at Premier Placement Services, we understand the need to find temporary employees quickly. We listen and understand the needs of our clients so we can help to recruit workers for the festive period with the minimum of fuss. You can request staff easily and if someone is available, we can have them with you within an hour. Or if you need candidates for interview, our strict processes ensure we send you the most suitable for your needs. Here’s a few answers to the questions we get asked most from employers.
If you have any questions, please talk to a member of our friendly team. Good luck with your recruitment!