Seasonal employees can be a lifesaver for companies that experience seasonal growth. The challenge of using these essential employees comes down to onboarding and training, as speed is just as important as quality. Developing a comprehensive training and onboarding program that doesn't hinder the company's overall process is key. Luckily, there are many methods, tips, and tricks that can help you build an effective and quick program. Here are some of the best practices for onboarding and training seasonal employees quickly.
Why hire seasonal employees?
If onboarding and training these team members is difficult, then why hire them? Seasonal employees can make a world of difference when it comes to helping clients during peak season, ultimately increasing revenue while boosting customer and employee satisfaction. Companies can also reap the following rewards:
- Fewer employment expenses: Hiring temporary versus full-time employees can help you reduce related expenses. These positions often fill faster and usually include fewer benefits compared to full-time employees.
- Reduced employment gaps: Rather than overworking your team during the busy season or other periods where you're short-staffed, you can use seasonal employees to fill employment gaps.
- Less workplace risk: Hiring long-term employees can be risky, as some may seem like a great fit but end up not aligning with the company. Hiring temporary employees can benefit your company in the short term, and if they end up not being a great fit for the company, their employment comes with a defined end date.
- Management of long-term hiring needs: Seasonal employees can also help you test out your team, identifying those who may be a good fit for the company in the long term. This can provide teams with a vast talent pool of individuals who've already proven their skills.
Best practices for onboarding seasonal employees
Proactiveness is the key to success when it comes to onboarding. Getting things taken care of as early as possible can help streamline the onboarding process and get your new team up to speed fast. Here are some best practices to consider when onboarding your seasonal employees:
Use checklists
Using checklists is an easy way to ensure that all important onboarding tasks are taken care of. This can prevent unnecessary delays when trying to get your new employees up to speed. Checklists are also important to enhance the onboarding experience for seasonal workers. Having a clear-cut outline of everything they need to accomplish can help keep them on track and decrease the amount of time it takes them to get everything done.
Provide training materials early
Rather than waiting until your seasonal employees are in training to give them materials, provide what you can during the onboarding process. If possible, you can give them these materials earlier to speed up your onboarding and training process.
Simplify the process
Keeping your onboarding process simple can help get your team members into training faster. Simplifying the process can involve different things for different companies. Perhaps this means getting all important documents in first and postponing the things that can wait. Using easy-to-read checklists and cutting down on unnecessary tasks can also help to simplify the onboarding process. This may look like saving the facility tour until later, when it's relevant, to help speed up onboarding.
Leverage technology and software solutions
Technology and software solutions can help with many tasks listed above. Technology can manage all essential onboarding documents, offer a way for employees and hiring managers to communicate, and let employees track their onboarding process. Technology can also free up some time for those conducting the onboarding so they can focus on other tasks.
Communicate with your existing team
Successful onboarding — like most things in the business world — relies on communication. Communicating with your existing team can make or break the onboarding experience for associates. Ensuring your current team knows their roles and responsibilities and who their mentees are can help prevent any confusion and provide a seamless onboarding experience for new seasonal workers. Discussing timelines and deadlines with your team before onboarding starts can also help keep everyone on track.
"Using technology, cutting down on unnecessary tasks, and having a standardized program are all useful ways to help seasonal workers get through their first few days or weeks on the job."
Best practices for training seasonal employees
Training your new employees often happens after or sometimes during onboarding. Seasonal employees need to get up to speed quickly so they can start helping the rest of the team, making training a critical turning point. Here are some best practices to incorporate into your training regimen for seasonal employees:
Schedule regular training
Rather than having all your training done right when a seasonal employee starts, spreading it out across a few weeks can make it less overwhelming for new team members and can also help the training actually stick. This can also get new seasonal workers from training to performing even faster, helping the company thrive during the busy season.
Assign work buddies or mentors
It can be daunting to tackle a training program all alone, which is where having a work buddy or mentor can help. If you have a whole group of new seasonal workers, having them complete training together can help them learn quickly and feel more like a part of the team. The same can be done with assigning mentors to support new team members during their onboarding and training process.
Consider online training
Online training can help make this activity more convenient. You don't need to get the whole group together in a room, since many aspects of the training can be completed online. Training can better fit into team members' busy days, and with the introduction of more interactive and engaging online training programs, it can be more effective than traditional programs, too.
Create a standardized program
Having a clearly defined program is essential to avoid confusion, prevent training gaps, and improve employees’ overall experience with the company. This can also help employees better track their training and encourage them to take a proactive approach to this activity, which can get them up to speed quickly.
Tips for onboarding and training seasonal employees
Aside from best practices, there are other things to consider when it comes to onboarding and training in general. Here are some tips that can help you further revamp your company's onboarding and training efforts:
- Check in regularly: Regular engagement can help new employees feel more connected with the company. This can also give supervisors the chance to review training progress, address any questions an individual may have, and ensure that onboarding and training stay on track.
- Collect feedback: Employee feedback can help improve internal processes, programs, and even customer experiences.
- Motivate your new team: Keeping your team engaged and motivated can help improve performance. It can also keep them making consistent progress in their training, ultimately improving their quality of service and efficiency.
Finding ways to optimize your onboarding and training processes for seasonal employees can help them get up to speed fast. Using technology, cutting down on unnecessary tasks, and having a standardized program are all useful ways to help seasonal workers get through their first few days or weeks on the job.
More tips for employing seasonal workers
There are a few ideal types of candidates when it comes to seasonal hiring, so finding these candidates can help your company land the best seasonal employees.
Your seasonal hiring strategy can also make or break your peak season, so finding an effective strategy that works for your company is key.
