Staffing companies provide valuable services for employees and businesses during seasonal hiring windows. 

Industries such as retail and manufacturing see a sharp increase in hiring during the holiday season. In today’s challenging candidate market, these businesses often rely on staffing firms to meet their labor needs. 

But what happens to these employees after the holiday season ends and job assignments expire? How can staffing companies support workers in continuing to gain a paycheck? 

What is a seasonal job? Seasonal jobs typically involve assignments that run 6 months or less, typically around the same time each year. 

• For retail, hiring needs increase for September-December, with layoffs or assignment end-dates coming with the start of the new year. 
• For accounting or additional tax services, December-April are the busiest months. 
• The light industrial industry sees seasonal trends as well; as you might guess, light industrial companies have the most need in spring, summer, and fall. 

5 Tips for Supporting Seasonal Workers

# 1: Utilize detailed job descriptions 

Supporting candidates during their transitions starts before they’re even hired. Be sure to write detailed job descriptions, complete with requirements and schedules. This ensures applicants have all the information they need before applying for a position, reducing the likelihood that they would need to bow out of a seasonal opportunity due to schedule conflicts.

With companies often requiring specific holiday hours, it’s important to reach candidates whose availability matches your customer’s needs. This saves both you and your job applicants valuable time. Detailed job descriptions also allow you to rank higher in the search algorithm, reaching more candidates.

#2: Communicate with employees about their needs

Understanding the needs of your employees helps you better support them during their transition. 

During the onboarding process, ask your candidates about their post-holiday needs. Are they just looking for temporary work for the season, or are they hoping to find additional work after? Are they looking to stay in a similar role when their current assignment ends?  

Then, when their assignment comes to an end, conduct an end-of-season interview. What worked well for your employee? Is there anything you could do better to support them? What are they looking for next? 

#3: Look for new placements ahead of time 

Before a seasonal worker’s contract expires, be on the lookout for upcoming positions that fit their qualifications.

For example, TempWorks Beyond gives you the tools and insight you need to prepare placements for employees coming off assignment soon. Then, the Resume Matching tool enables you to find open assignments that fit your candidate’s experience. By being proactive, you can help reduce your candidate’s employment gap. 

#4: Keep in touch with employees via mobile tools 

Take advantage of employee engagement tools—especially those optimized for mobile devices. TempWorks clients can use Buzz to communicate with employees. Alert them to upcoming opportunities and send over job applications before they’ve even ended their current assignment. 

#5: Source your current and recent candidate pool 

Make note of top performers for future opportunities. Whether it’s a post-holiday placement or future holiday work next season, don’t forget to source your current and recent talent pool for future needs. 

How do you work to support temporary holiday workers? What tips would you add?