Hiring seasonal workers 101

What is seasonal hiring?

In short, seasonal hiring is when a business brings on additional staff during busy periods of their trading year. While these periods can be at different times of the year for businesses and industries, generally busy periods will fall on holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and summer months. 

The definition of a seasonal worker is an employee that comes to fill gaps on a part or full time basis. Generally, they will have a fixed term contract that will stipulate their exact hours and duties, as well as how long they will perform them for. While some seasonal staff may transition into full time employees, these positions are usually explicitly temporary jobs. 

What’s the difference between seasonal and regular employment? 

The difference between these two modes of working is very simple. Regular employment is a full or part-time position that is kept on throughout the year. Seasonal employment only take place during busy periods throughout of the year. 

For instance, a company that sells winter coats will be busiest in autumn during the run-up to winter. This coat company may need extra help in their manufacturing plant or in their distribution centre and so will bring in additional workers to get them through that period.

How many hours do seasonal employees work? 

Temporary employees can work more or less hours than their permanent colleagues - it depends on whether or not they are hired as part-time or full-time. Seasonal positions allow employers to skirt the edges of benefit entitlements available to their full-time staff. It’s really up to the employer to set the hours so it could be anywhere from 3 to 30 hours to even longer. 

This also raises the question of “when do seasonal positions end?” Again, this is largely up to the employer. Depending on the size of the business and its needs at peak seasonal time, seasonal contracts could run from a few months to half the year. Of course, seasonal rushes can be hard to predict so this could change. 

How much do seasonal workers get paid?  

Due to the nature of the job, most seasonal positions are paid their country's equivalent of minimum wage. This is because most seasonal jobs, like package packing, don’t require any specialised training or knowledge. 

This isn’t to say that there is no seasonal work that doesn’t offer hiring wages. For example, part-time tutors and accountants can command a very respectable hourly rate, making these attractive options for more specialised workers. 

Can seasonal workers become permanent? 

As with other part-time roles, some seasonal positions have the potential to become permanent placements. It should be said that this is not the norm and most businesses will not offer full time employment. 

Seasonal work is usually defined by a set amount of time as outlined in a contract between employer and employee. This means that once the time contracted has expired, the business will let the seasonal worker go. 

If you are working in a seasonal position and would like to become a full time employee, there are several things you can do to help your chance. First, speak with your supervisor and express your interest in joining the business. Then put the effort to become an exemplary employee and hope your managers notice. 

What kind of training do I need to give seasonal workers?

Seasonal workers come with a range of experience, meaning that some of your hires may need more assistance than others. That's why having an onboarding procedure you can follow will ensure a basic level of skills and knowledge in all seasonal staff that allows that to help your team.

A simple way to plan an onboarding process will cover a few key areas (this should look similar to your onboarding for regular staff):

• Product training. Give new starters a run-through of your products, including those that need special treatment, any allergy and legal information, as well as getting them familiar with the details of your most popular offerings.
• Protocols. Let them know the steps they should take when facing certain situations, including safety information, complaints protocol, cleaning processes, and who to come to with questions.
• Customer service. Your customers won't see any difference between seasonal and long-term team members. Get your seasonal team up to speed with slogans and scripts, customer handling tips, and ensure they know how to stay perky, polite and professional at all times.
• POS system practice.  If your seasonal team will be serving, they need to know how to navigate your POS system. Get them set up with a user, and guide them through processing all kinds of sales before letting them serve your customers.

How can businesses best support seasonal workers? 

As a business owner, you have a responsibility to provide the best possible working environment for your workers. Seasonal work can be intensely stressful and your workers have volunteered their time and energy to help see you through your busy period. 

There are several ways you can support your seasonal workers and improve your overall business practices. These include: 

• Offering overtime - Overtime benefits the business and the employee by giving everyone more time to get the job done. Due to the finite nature of seasonal work, your workers will be eager to work hard and make as much as they can. 
• Hire from marginalised communities - Seasonal positions are perfect for workers that come from marginalised communities such as POC and the elderly. Reach out to support groups in your area and see if they can provide you with some candidates. 
• Treat your seasonal workers as if they were full time - Even though your seasonal workers won’t be with you as long as your full time employees, treating them the same will create a much more pleasant working environment for everyone. 

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