Seasonal employees are individuals who are hired during “busy seasons,” which can vary from industry to industry. For the majority of companies, summers and winters are the main seasons businesses need extra assistance. When companies depend on seasonal staff, building a good relationship with new hires is important. It’s worth paying extra attention to the onboarding process. With less time in their roles, employees can’t afford to take six months to get comfortable.

Ensuring that these individuals feel right at home on day one has benefits for the employer, as well. While not everyone will continue on to long careers with the corporation, others may transition into full-time roles. Their experience working with your company, no matter how long, may affect whether they continue to use your product and how they talk about you to others. It can also affect whether they refer others to you (whether as customers or employees) or whether they return when you need help again next season.

Some benefits employers experience when hiring seasonal workers includes wider access to talent, lower costs, and increased morale. Not everyone wants a full-time job. By offering part-time, seasonal, and flexible work, you open your talent pool to those who may not be able to make a full-time commitment to your company. This may include working parents, teachers, full-time professionals, students, and business owners. Seasonal, part-time, and temporary employees generally make less money and don’t have access to health insurance. Because their employment is tied to the busy season, this gives your company a lot of flexibility and control over their hiring costs. Since the term of seasonal employment is shorter, employees tend to stay in higher spirits. Their positive morale can also benefit your other employees, regardless of their hiring status. 

While employers reap the benefits of seasonal employees, job seekers should be aware of the benefits they can receive from seasonal opportunities. For employees, you can gain a diversified set of skills and experience, flexible work schedules, and room for advancement. The advice given to many job seekers is that “It’s easier to get a job when you have a job.” Taking a seasonal or temporary role keeps you busy and engaged while you look for a better opportunity. If you’re looking to upskill or get into a new industry, temporary work lets you try your hand at a role without a long-term commitment from either party. These jobs can be valuable resume builders and opportunities for networking. Temporary jobs also offer you a more flexible schedule, depending on the industry and position, that gives you the ability to manage your personal and professional time while working other jobs. If an industry or organization is particularly competitive, getting in the door as a seasonal employee could help put you on track for a full-time role later on. Even if you don’t grow within that particular organization, the skills and experience can often translate to other roles.

Because seasonal employees are only with your team for a short period of time every year, they may not feel like “part of the team” in the way that your regular employees do. But temporary workers are still workers, and they’re critical to your business’ success in stressful times. Creating a sense of belonging from their first day can help them do their best work and set them up for success. To ensure a positive experience, employers can offer special benefits, create an amazing work environment, and prioritize retention 

Just because they don’t get health insurance doesn’t mean that you can’t offer other, valuable perks. Try subsidizing their commute, offering a higher employee discount, paying for lunch, or offering a bonus after a successful season. Since their employment will be short, make every part of it count. A new hire checklist can help standardize and scale onboarding. Consider providing career coaching to help them grow. Learn how their time with your company fits into their overall career aspirations. One of the best ways you can make seasonal employment a win-win is to keep your seasonal employees coming back. Retention lowers your recruiting and training costs while helping to build industry leaders. Creating a great experience and making sure you stay competitive with industry trends helps you keep more of the talent that you foster.

Staff Solve continues to provide high-quality candidates and jobs in diverse markets for over 27 years. If you are looking for employment, please visit our job seeker page and check out our job board for current positions. If you would like more information about the services we offer employers, visit our employer page or contact us today.