The festive season is a challenge for many employers – just look at the nightmare the Sydney Hills bus company had the day after the Melbourne Cup, when drivers failed to make it into work and commuters were left waiting hours for buses that were never going to turn up! Social media is definitely not your friend as a business when that happens!
So here are some tips to help you ensure that your customers' experiences are happy ones during the holiday season:
- Ask staff if they plan to take leave over the holiday period, early. The sooner you know your staffing plans, the sooner you can plan your staffing!
- If you have never engaged a recruitment company before, start talking to them now – get their terms of business, read them and discuss any questions you have NOW, before you end up in a bun fight over fees and rights
- When you have a recruitment partner lined up – book your temp job early – the agency might not ‘fill’ it immediately (mainly because they can’t always predict who will be available in 6 weeks’ time) – but if they have your job on their ‘books’, they will prioritise your vacancy and you will be guaranteed to get a great temp on board
- If you need a permanent staff member to ‘hand over’ to the temp, make sure you allow a day or two for the handover to ensure you get the most value for money
- If you have any unplanned absences and you need help – call your agency as early as you can. A good agency will be able to source a suitable temporary resource quickly – sometimes within minutes!
A key piece of advice is – don’t have unrealistic expectations of your temp staff. If they are covering for permanent employees on leave, remember they are there to ensure that critical work gets completed, but you can’t expect someone to be as efficient as a permanent staff member right off the bat. If you need someone to hit the ground running or to be able to manage complex tasks, you should consider hiring a temp who is over skilled for the job. It might cost you a little more, but you will have less inefficiencies and less errors.
When you have done all of this, sit back and relax! The holiday period should be a nice time for you too! And the peace of knowing that your business is going to keep on running even with your key players off on holiday will definitely help you get into the holiday spirit!
Regardless if you have planned for your staffing needs or trying to manage a crisis when regular staff have not turned up – never fear! We are here to help!
Call people2people on 1300 121 727 or fill in this form to access fantastic temporary staff, where and when you need them!
