busy making preparations for the upcoming shopping frenzy and may not have the time needed to devote to thoroughly training new employees. Have dedicated staff on hand for training in critical areas. Security, technology, processes…find out what will need the most attention and have employees at the ready to get your new crew up to speed. Train in groups whenever possible. Not everything
requires one-on-one interaction. When training for tasks that require customer interaction, new employees can participate by role-playing.
9. Treat them well Your new employees might be temporary, but you want their time with you to be a success for both parties. Be fair with scheduling. Make sure all departments
are covered appropriately, and don’t expect a handful of workers to cover the least desirable shifts (unless that was in the job description!). Pay well. You’re going to have a lot of competition
for these workers, so make sure the pay is competitive enough to attract and retain them. Be up front about the separation process. Everyone
involved knows this is a temporary job, but no one likes to wonder. Make sure each employee knows exactly when their last day is, when they can expect their last paycheck, and what to do with company property. Offer great discounts. One of the most attractive
perks for holiday workers is getting an employee discount. L.L. Bean offers a 40% discount for their holiday workers. The company has a great retention rate when it comes to rehiring those workers year after year.
7. Pre-employment tests The most common problem when hiring seasonal help is reliability and shrink. Both of these issues, along with many others, can be addressed with an integrity test. Other areas you might want to assess are skills (math and
language are both critical components of many positions such as cashiers, shipping, and warehouse workers), cognitive ability (discover how quickly they can be trained to save your store time and money), and personality (how they will handle the stress of holiday work).
How to Get the Most Out of Your Holiday Staff
8. Training tools Getting new employees up to speed is always an important task, but this time of year it becomes more difficult. Everyone is
10. Engaged and interested Employee engagement is crucial to a company’s bottom line, and even seasonal workers can make a difference. You don’t have to throw a party every time they walk in the door, but you should make them feel like they matter (because they do!). Welcome their suggestions and feedback, and show appreciation when they go above and beyond.
Editor’s Note For a handy printable version of the infographic shown, visit
wonderlic.com/SeasonalHiringChecklist.
Ken Silber is the Executive Vice President of Sales for Wonderlic, Inc. and a regular contributor to the company’s HR advice blog. He assists organizations of all sizes with reducing employee turnover, improving engagement, and driving customer satisfaction. Silber can be reached at
ken.silber@
wonderlic.com. For more information about the company, please visit
wonderlic.com.
SpecialtyRetail.com Fall 2013 n Specialty Retail Report 131
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