What Are Seasonal Workers?
Seasonal workers are short-term additions to a team, especially in high-traffic times of year for a business.
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Understanding Seasonal Workers
Not everyone is a year-round employee, and for good reason. For example, many stores see increased foot traffic around the holidays. Therefore, they plan ahead with hiring campaigns to attract seasonal workers or people who can work through that period to fill staffing gaps. Other industries, such as amusement parks or ski resorts, are only open during certain times of the year and rely on full-time or part-time workers hired just for those times.
Federal laws governing seasonal employment are similar to those governing part-time employment. Employers are expected to pay out at least minimum wage, offer overtime as applicable, and subject their employees to normal tax withholding.
Seasonal workers are employees hired by businesses temporarily to meet increased demand during specific times of the year. Seasonal employment is common in industries like retail, hospitality, and education.
Benefits of Seasonal Workers
Employers can staff up more efficiently with seasonal workers, demonstrating a prudent and strategic approach to business management. Keeping a large team of workers when business is light doesn't necessarily make sense. Savvy businesses can foresee staffing shortages and prepare to fill them instead. Hiring seasonal workers is also a cost-effective strategy, as they are only on the payroll during busier times for the business. Additionally, these employees are usually part-time, thus receiving fewer benefits, which cuts costs.
For workers, seasonal employment offers a flexible opportunity to earn extra cash within a short period. It can also act as a second job for some people. Finally, seasonal work is an excellent way for job candidates to get their foot in the door for a potential permanent position, offering a sense of hope and optimism for future employment.
Employers can save money by hiring seasonal workers to fill staffing gaps during their busy season(s). Employees may enjoy the flexibility this kind of employment offers.
Challenges and Considerations
Seasonal employment will vary from industry to industry. For example, summer camps will run in the summer, whereas tax professionals are busy from January to April. Some companies offer a set period for their seasonal employment; others do not offer specific contract start and end dates. Some companies choose to hire as business picks up and let workers go as it slows down. However, employees typically do not prefer this strategy.
Additionally, training a large volume of new workers is often challenging. Setting practical seasonal employment standards can be difficult. Still, businesses need to implement to optimize their recruitment efforts.
Some challenges of seasonal hiring include navigating communication, training, and organization-wide standards.
Best Practices for Small Businesses
Small businesses wanting seasonal employment should assess their "busy season." When is it, by how much will foot (or digital) traffic increase, and how many people should be added to the team to account for the change?
Communicate openly with seasonal workers to ensure they know your expectations. Consider giving them an anticipated timeline of your work together. Prioritize effective onboarding and training for all new teammates. Finally, create a positive employee engagement experience so that you leave the door open for them to consider future long-term employment with you.
To effectively offer seasonal employment, small businesses should identify their busy seasons, determine staffing needs, and communicate openly with seasonal workers.
Seasonal workers, hired to meet increased demand during specific times of the year, can be a valuable asset for small businesses. Businesses can optimize this offering by identifying busy seasons, determining staffing needs, and keeping up clear communication and practical training. Creating a positive work environment for seasonal employees helps manage peak business periods efficiently. It fosters a pool of potential long-term employees.
About the author
Casey Pontrelli
Casey Pontrelli is a multi-talented professional with a background in content creation, branding, and social media marketing. Whether writing for a newspaper, eCommerce website, B2B startup, or a marketing agency, she has taken her strong background in journalism and turned her focus to SEO and content marketing. She’s written about everything from boutiques to cars to small businesses, and enjoys most when she knows her writing has had an impact. When she’s not writing up a storm or creating attention-grabbing social media posts, Casey enjoys hanging out with her partner and three cats, Eddy, Larry, and Marcus, going on long walks in the Green Belt, and, predictably, reading.
