As the end of the calendar year approaches, many business and HR leaders start to bite their nails at the thought of market demands, pre-holiday stress, post-holiday wind down, and deadlines to complete related seasonal needs without over hiring.
Plan Ahead
Advance planning is essential as you adjust to seasonal changes and meet both short-and long-term objectives while maintaining profitability – not to mention employee morale, engagement and satisfaction. We all want to end the year on a high note and be ready to hit the ground running come January.
- The most in-demand temporary talent could already be on assignment or have their seasonal work lined up. But don’t hit the panic button just yet. Partner with a recruitment firm that specializes in temporary placements within your industry.
- Make an annual plan. Take a look at your organization’s productivity and customer data during previous busy periods. Were you adequately staffed? Pinpoint times when and areas in which you could most benefit from seasonal employment. Use this knowledge for planning purposes. Set specific benchmark dates to make these hires so you’re not caught off guard. By using skilled interim professionals, you inject much-needed flexibility into your staffing plan.
Staff Strategically
Temporary seasonal workers offer numerous advantages. Your staffing firm can assess your needs and locate the right talent to fill them.
- This relieves the burden of getting added seasonal work done without more stress on your current employees. Be sure to communicate your reasoning to your regular full-time staff. Also, provide adequate supervision and guidance to temps early on, in order to maximize the value of your investment.
- Consider all staffing levels. The days of temporary employees being hired to do strictly clerical work are long gone. Today’s professionals have a full spectrum of skills and can seamlessly staff virtually any role, from entry to senior level.
- Pay competitively. Offering above-average compensation is one of the most effective ways to attract stellar talent.
Added Benefits
As part of your strategic planning, build a lasting relationship with your recruitment firm so you can source top interim talent and use them again in the future. Often, you can keep them in your talent pipeline so that if a permanent opening occurs, they can quickly step up to the plate and join your full-time team. And of course, you have no financial risk as their agency is their employer and if they don’t work out as planned, you can easily terminate your agreement.
Ready to learn more as you right size your staff for year-end 2014? Read our related posts or contact Ontario’s temporary staffing specialists at Employment Professionals Canada today.
