Guide to recruiting seasonal workers for your business

Summer is here and can be a busy time for seasonal businesses. An expanded workforce of temporary workers can be an advantage and help is on hand to guide you through what you need to know when recruiting them

For many businesses, the majority of their trade falls within a particular time frame each year. For retailers, Christmas is often their rush period while for the tourism and catering industries, this period usually falls in the summer months. One of the unique challenges for seasonal businesses is recruitment and ensuring that they have a skilled, committed workforce in place during this busy time.

Seasonal businesses need to find the right balance between hiring permanent employees who work throughout the year and those who only work during the peak periods. Many survive with a small core of permanent staff – a few people dealing with administration, finances, marketing etc. These individuals can keep the business ticking over during the quieter months and make sure that everything is in place for when the seasonal workers come on board.

Who to choose

From temporary workers and agency workers to fixed-contract workers or even family and friends who are willing and able to help out, there are a number of options when you’re looking for additional staff. Factor in what kind of responsibilities you will need them to take on, as well as how long you will need them for and what your budget is.

Once you’ve decided who you’re looking for, make sure you check if there’s any specific legislation relating to those kinds of workers. For example, for workers from abroad, check that they are eligible to work in the UK. Another example is young people, who can be a ready source of staff during holiday periods. However, employing people aged between 13 and school-leaving age is subject to a number of additional requirements including limited working hours and restriction from certain less appropriate or potentially dangerous industries, so read up on the specifics for your industry before hiring younger workers.

Simplifying documentation

Taking on additional staff, including seasonal workers, involves providing new contracts, payslips and other relevant documents. Working out what you need to provide can seem daunting and time consuming. Many business owners often ask third parties to help, making it expensive as well. However, drafting legally accurate documents doesn’t have to be costly or time-intensive. Know what you need to provide, to save yourself from doubling up on documentation and spending more time and money than necessary. For example, if you include all the terms and conditions into a contract, you only need to provide a single document. Try using online tools such as the one at www.businesslink.gov.uk/writtenstatement to help you draft the terms and conditions for your employment contracts.

Legislation

When taking on additional staff legislation applies across a range of areas and a temporary worker requires the same care and attention as a permanent member of staff. From complying with Data Protection Act requirements to keeping accurate records, covering off all the requirements will stand you in good stead for your busy periods. However, complying with legislation can be simpler than you think. For example, accurate payroll records on their own should satisfy the national minimum wage and maximum working hours reporting requirements as well, meaning you don’t have to maintain several different types of records. However you choose to keep records, ensure that they are accurate and current.

Training and Induction

Help familiarise new summer staff with your company’s operations when they arrive through an induction process and remember to schedule in time for any relevant training. The influx of new staff may require readjustment of existing workplace hierarchies so minimise disruption to business by ensuring that all employees know which operations they will be responsible for and who they need to report to.

Provide schedules well in advance, and keep people informed about when the busiest periods will be, so staff can plan their personal lives around them. This is particularly important for shift work, where staff can work unsociable hours which impacts on their home lives.

Offering incentives and making your seasonal staff feel like part of the team can help retain their loyalty, which can be especially important if you need to hire people every year and don’t want to have to search and re-train staff each time.

Whatever busy periods and seasonal challenges your business faces, administrating, the recruitment process doesn’t have to be one of them.

About the Author

This article was written for Bytestart readers by Kim Fletcher, Business Link Adviser Kent

For more information and guidance on hiring people for your business, visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/employingpeople.