Seasonal Help: Why You Should Plan Your Staffing Needs Now
October 5th, 2010Admittedly, it may be a little early to light a Yule log.
But if you’re in the customer service, administrative/clerical, hospitality, shipping/delivery, inventory or technology/finance industries, you’re probably headed for a busy – if not your busiest – time of year. If you’re going to require extra help this holiday season, it’s definitely not too early to plan for your staffing needs.
Here are just a few reasons why:
- Prevent rash hiring decisions. If you wait until the last minute to recruit and hire, you may find yourself “up against a wall” when business suddenly surges. Waiting until your needs are urgent may force you to make hasty hiring decisions.
- Get a jump on your competitors. Many companies will wait until next month to gear-up. Why not start your efforts now and reach the most qualified candidates before other seasonal employers get them?
- Avoid being overwhelmed. This year’s seasonal job market will be flooded with applicants. With so many job seekers competing for positions, the sheer volume of résumés and applications may bog you down. Give yourself as much time as possible to find the best candidates by starting the search process early.
If just reading about seasonal hiring makes your stomach churn, relax – you don’t have to do it alone. Staffing firms specialize in helping companies like yours effectively manage the highs and lows of business cycles. Plan your workforce needs now with your staffing partner to:
- Get the flexibility you need. Seasonal temporaries can handle surges in demand without impacting fixed expenses.
- Say “goodbye” to post-holiday layoffs. Since the staffing service is the seasonal employees’ employer of record, you can avoid the hassle and expense of letting workers go once things slow down.
- Access the talent you need, right when you need it. Planning your workforce needs now gives your staffing firm time to locate the most qualified staff for you, especially when you require a large number of workers – so they’re available right when you need them.
- Shorten learning curves. Your staffing provider will recruit seasonal workers with the specific skills and experience you require. The provider can also, at your request, develop customized orientation materials to help reduce training costs and get workers up-to-speed more quickly.
- Eliminate additional administrative and legal burdens. By using temporary employees, you avoid the social security, payroll and other tax and legal burdens associated with seasonal employees. Freedom from these hassles will give you more time to focus on other important priorities.
- Cut back on overtime. Temporary employees help you minimize the additional cost and burnout overtime causes.
Plan Your Workforce Needs with Berks & Beyond Employment Services
If your business has frequent or predictable surges in demand, a planned staffing option may be right for you. Planned staffing is the strategic use of temporaries to accommodate workloads known to vary in seasons or other cycles.
First, a Berks & Beyond staffing expert will work with you to examine year-round fluctuations in workload and identify peak demand periods. Next, we will create a customized staffing plan for your business that: provides temporary employees to handle your busiest times; reduces or eliminates your need to lay off employees during slow periods; frees you to focus on the most critical parts of your job.
Remember, the early bird gets the worm – it’s never too early to discuss your staffing needs with Berks & Beyond.