Should you hire during the holidays? The answer depends completely on who you ask – some managers will tell you that the holidays are a great time to recruit, while others will frown vigorously and claim it’s the worst.
Some companies like holiday hiring to help regain the ground they lost during a lull over the fall months. Others avoid holiday hiring because they know budget cuts for a new fiscal year could be right around the corner.
How do companies plan on hiring during the holidays? It requires a special formula of looking behind and looking ahead. Balancing your hiring needs with your company’s goals can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task. Having worked with hundreds of companies in the DFW Metroplex, the staffing professionals at High Profile Staffing have developed a simple checklist to help determine if holiday hiring is right for you.
Holiday Hiring Checklist
- Do the holidays cause more stress on your employees?
- Does the influx of business create more work for your staff?
- Does business continue to build even after the holidays are over?
- Do you have opportunities to increase your clients or projects in the next six months?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, hiring during the holidays might be a good choice for your business. Here are a few tips to make sure your holiday hiring is smooth and effective.
Support your current staff. Keeping your current employees satisfied and stress-free will boost productivity and profits during the holiday season. This will also help onboarding and training of new hires and contract employees go more efficiently.
Keep them happy. Making their job satisfaction a priority can help ensure that your staff doesn’t feel threatened by holiday hiring. You want your most skilled workers and dedicated employees to remain loyal to your company. Provide opportunities for professional development and advancement. Be sure to also emphasize access to, and training on, the most current technologies.
Address skills gaps. Your seasoned employees have experience, but your younger workers are more tech savvy. When you have a large discrepancy in employee ability and performance, contract labor or direct hires can help keep production moving forward. This is especially important in accounting, when end-of-the-year budgets are due, and in human resources, when holiday hiring requires a lot of their energy.
Many employers look to the experienced recruiters at staffing agencies to streamline their hiring process. If you’re interested in learning how High Profile Staffing can help you plan for your holiday hiring challenges, give us a call. We treat our clients like members of our team, allowing us to offer better staffing services with a more affordable rate.
