How to Manage Your Summer Staffing Needs
In many industries, the current worker shortage will become even worse due to increased activity during the summer months. Accurate Staffing offers tips on how to attract and retain workers so that you can avoid a staffing shortage this season.
Seasonal Staffing Solutions for Your Business
Summer is fast approaching and with it comes another busy season for companies in a variety of industries. Having reliable workers who can get the job done will be key to your success in the coming months. Accurate Staffing shares six tips that can help you avoid a summer staffing shortage this season.
- Reward your current workforce
- Bring back last year’s workers
- Look for cross-training opportunities
- Offer a variety of scheduling options
- Expand your hiring pool
- Consider partnering with Accurate Staffing
Reward your current workforce
Retaining your current workforce is the first step to preventing a staffing shortage. It’s more important than ever to ensure your employees feel happy, motivated and appreciated. Start by checking in regularly and asking for their input on decisions that affect their work. This sets the foundation for open communication and makes workers feel respected and valued.
You can also offer perks and incentives — like happy hours, game nights or weekly lunches — to help boost morale and employee retention. Other ways to show your appreciation include helping workers with ongoing expenses such as offering bus passes, gas cards or free parking.
Plus, celebrations and rewards programs can keep staff engaged and enhance productivity. Workers who go above and beyond can win tickets to a local sporting event or show or receive extra time off. Even small gestures can have a significant impact on employee morale.
Bring back last year’s workers
On average, it takes four to six weeks to hire a full-time employee. If you take four to six weeks to hire this summer, your business could struggle to meet staffing demands. Plus, a full-time hire may not be the best choice given economic uncertainty.
Solve your summer staffing shortage without breaking your budget by calling on those who know your business best: Last year’s seasonal workers. They know what it takes to get the job done and can provide the support you need without the usual hiring hassles of onboarding.
Another thing to note: When you’re choosing from last year’s workers, look for traits such as a positive attitude, good communication skills and a strong work ethic.
Look for cross-training opportunities
When times get busy, looking to your current workforce for more support can have a big impact. Team members may have skills and experiences that are perfect for other roles. Someone with an outgoing personality may have what it takes to succeed in a frontline role, for example.
Cross-training can have a positive impact on your recruitment and retention efforts as well. A PwC study notes that 77% of workers are interested in expanding their skillset or completely retraining for a different role. Meanwhile, 48% of workers would switch to a new job if offered training opportunities, according to a Gallup survey.
When it comes to your summer staffing goals, you get the best of both worlds. Promoting your training opportunities can help attract more applicants to your company. Meanwhile, your current team members chosen for these opportunities will feel more valued knowing that you are invested in their career development.
Offer a variety of scheduling options
In recent studies a survey, 44% of job seekers say flexibility is the primary reason they are looking for a new job. As a result, more companies are adopting flexible scheduling models to attract and retain workers.
Adapting your scheduling methods to accommodate your workforce can help support your staffing needs through the summer. Some of these options include:
Flextime: Workers choose their own start and end times provided they are still on-site for set core hours.
Self-scheduling: Workers select their own shifts on a first come, first serve basis.
Shift work: Your workforce is split so employees do the same job on different rotations, still allowing you to meet deadlines.
Staggered hours: Workers begin and end their shift at different times, allowing them to make appointments or run errands.
Finding the flexible scheduling strategies that work for you and your workers will boost retention, attract new candidates and create a staffing solution that fills gaps in your workforce in the summer season and beyond.
Expand your hiring pool
When it comes to hiring, you can broaden your horizons to include different groups of job seekers. They often have open availability which can help your business account for unplanned absences or rapid business growth. Some examples of seasonal workers who might serve your business:
Recent high school graduates and college students who are looking to make extra money or explore their career options.
People switching careers who are looking to find career advancement options, or a better work-life balance.
Working parents and caregivers who are seeking flexible jobs that allow them to fulfill family responsibilities.
Military veterans and spouses who want to transfer their skills into the civilian job market.
Keep in mind that if the performance of your seasonal workers is strong, they can become permanent members of your team. That way you’ll prevent seasonal staffing shortages and ensure your productivity year-round.
Consider partnering with a staffing agency
Being understaffed can cause a lot of problems for your business and negatively impact your staff as well. This can result in increased stress, reduced output or poor performance, according to a study from the Society of Human Resource Management. Even worse, it can lead to more workers leaving for other jobs.
So, how do you ensure that you always have access to the workers you need? If filling open roles is an ongoing challenge, a staffing agency can provide summer staffing solutions. A staffing agency will create a staffing plan based on your current needs with easy access to seasonal staff for your open roles. Even better, they can provide the workers you need, whether it’s a single person at one location, or an entire workforce across multiple job sites.
HOW Accurate Staffing SUPPORTS YOUR SUMMER STAFFING NEEDS
Accurate Staffing can help you solve your seasonal staffing shortage this summer or at any time of year. Our team of staffing experts in over 500-plus markets can fulfill a variety of staffing needs. For example:
- Construction staffing (clean-ups, clean-outs)
- Event staffing
- General labor staffing
- Hospitality staffing
- Retail staffing
- Warehouse staffing
- And more
Since unexpected staffing needs can happen at any time, our app, The Buzz, provides you 24/7 access to job seekers in your local area who are available immediately. As a result, you can fill jobs with seasonal staff even outside of normal business hours.
