Is your small business going to need more help this year to handle the holiday rush and provide great customer service? If you’re planning on staffing during the holidays, you’d better get a move on.
A recent survey commissioned by Snagajob reports that nearly 70 percent of hiring managers will be adding hourly workers this holiday season, up from last year. They’ll be adding 28 percent more seasonal employees than last year.
Most managers who are adding seasonal workers started hiring last month, and will complete their seasonal staffing this month. That means competition is stiff. So if you’ve waited, below are some strategies to help you with your seasonal hiring and staffing during the holidays:
Tap Your Social Networks
Post seasonal job openings on your business website, of course, but also promote them on your social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter. Use photos or videos to give a feel for what it’s like to work at your business and make it look fun and exciting.
Of course, you should also check in with your contacts on social networks such as LinkedIn to see if they have any suggestions for people seeking seasonal work.
Try a Temporary Agency
If you want to avoid the headaches of hunting for workers, as well as the hassles of handling all the paperwork and tax withholding, a temporary agency can be a good solution. Tell the temp agency what you want, and they’ll find prospective candidates for you to interview.
You pay the temp agency and they pay the worker, plus handle all the documentation, payroll and tax withholding that’s needed so you don’t have to worry about it.
Think Outside the Box
Many seniors and stay-at-home moms are looking for extra money around the holidays. Depending on your seasonal hiring needs, these types of candidates could be perfect for you.
Tap into local PTAs, tot lots or other organizations that attract stay-at-home moms (you can find lots of them on Facebook) to let people know you’re hiring. Contact senior centers to see if you can post job listings on their boards or otherwise spread the word.
Work With Schools
Teens are the classic seasonal employee and the recession has left many teens looking for work as adults are filling jobs that typically went to them.
Contact high school career centers or counselors, or college career or job placement centers, to find out about posting your seasonal job listings. Many will be happy to put their students in touch with you.
Go Virtual
If you need customer service people to handle phone calls or online inquiries, consider hiring virtual customer service reps. You can place listings with companies such as oDesk or SimplyHired.
It’s not too late to find the perfect seasonal workers - you just have to know where to look.
This article, provided by Nextiva, is republished through a content distribution agreement. The original can be found here.
The Clock is Ticking Photo via Shutterstock
