How to Hire Summer, Seasonal Employees
Business spikes in summertime for some companies, at the holidays for others. Whenever the work crunch comes, companies need to add seasonal employees.
Busy times mean profitable times, so long as seasonal add-on workers can give you a leg up on your competition. But hiring errors get magnified during any busy season. Some tips for avoiding those errors, as described by Inc. magazine, include:
1. Start early. Companies that fail to plan, plan to fail. In May, if not before, think about your business operations between mid-May and mid-September. What kind of workers will you need? What skills will they need?
2. Look in the right places. Temporary employment agencies work year-around. But they can be expensive. College students might be right for your business. Some colleges let out in May; some in June. Some return to school in late August; some in October. Most all colleges have an employment office, and representatives who can help you list jobs.
3. Train often. Customer service is more important in a retail store than a factory, but everybody has to contribute and get along.
4. Play by the rules. Part-time, temporary, or seasonal employees are covered by both Federal and state laws. Where your state laws are more restrictive, you will need to follow state law. Generally, all the federal protections for minimum wages, worker safety, and apply equally to full-time and seasonal/part-time workers.
To learn more about seasonal employee rights, benefits and policies, check your state's employment laws. Otherwise, to be sure you are handling your seasonal employee staffing properly, you should speak with a knowledgeable employment law lawyer, who specializes in employer-side practice.
Related Resources:
- Hiring Teenagers, Work Permits and Your Business (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- State by State Workers' Compensation Laws (WorkersCompensation.com)
- Fair Labor Standards Act 29 U.S.Code sec. 201-et seq.
