There may be a global pandemic happening, but that doesn’t mean that companies should place any less emphasis on holiday sales. In fact, many companies rely on the holiday season to boost sales and offset quieter months from earlier in the year.
If this describes your company, you’re likely going to need to hire holiday temp employees to be able to meet the increased demands of the holiday season. But with COVID-19 currently affecting the world, the process for hiring these temp employees is different than in past years.
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To make sure you’re prepared for the coming months of increased consumer demand while still staying safe, keep reading to learn how to hire holiday temp employees in a post-COVID-19 world.
Hire only as many employees as you need
It’s tempting to overcompensate for the increased sales you expect during the holiday season, but this can add unnecessary risk to your workforce. The more people you hire, the greater the risk of one of them getting infected and, consequently, infecting others.
To reduce the chances of this happening, take some time to think about exactly how many holiday temp employees you’ll need. With the proper procedures in place, you can reliably bring on new employees when you need more.
When in doubt, focus your extra hiring efforts on your distribution staff, as your distribution capability will ultimately dictate how much extra business you can take on.
Don’t neglect proper training
Don’t get caught scrambling at the last minute. Begin holiday hiring as early as you can. Other than being needlessly stressful, last-minute hires are more likely to receive improper training in an effort to get them working as quickly as possible.
Improper training is bad enough in a world without COVID-19, but an improperly trained workforce in a post-pandemic world is exceptionally risky. Employees need extra safety and compliance training, which they can miss out on. This can put both the workforce and customers at risk.
Preparing your holiday workforce ahead of time, however, ensures that your temp employees receive as much proper training as the rest of your regular workforce. Of course, in addition to the training you provide, ensure that all of your employees follow the guidelines provided by the CDC.
Allow flexible scheduling
It’s always a possibility that, regardless of the training they receive or how carefully they operate, your employees still get infected. To avoid suddenly finding yourself a man down, it can be helpful to allow other employees to pick up shifts.
This can be tricky due to things like salaried situations, expertise compatibility, and maintaining social bubbles, but the right open-shift solution can help you continue full-steam ahead in the unfortunate case when an employee becomes infected — or too sick to work in general.
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Hiring holiday temp employees to keep up with heightened demands may require more finesse this year, but that doesn’t mean it can't be done. By following the tips outlined above, you can make this holiday season the most productive while also keeping your workforce healthy and COVID-free.
For help implementing an open-shift policy, streamlining training procedures, and improving communication at large within your organization, schedule a demo with our team at backstitch today.
