In retail, the approach of the holiday season is accompanied by the annual tradition of hiring seasonal workers. For new and experienced independent business owners, there are lessons to be learned in order to hire temporary workers who fit their needs and prove valuable, short-term members of their team.
An absolutely vital part of the process is starting early. As with all aspects of operating a successful business, prior planning is a must.
When considering how many extra employees to hire, be mindful of many factors. These include the state of the economy and consumer spending trends, the number of sales and promotions that you plan to offer, and if you will be staying open for longer hours and extra days.
Veteran store owners have a head-start; those new to the game should network with merchants who are well-versed in the groundwork of hiring an effective, seasonal workforce.
A critical reason for hiring early is to ensure that you have a large pool of applicants to review. If you lag behind other establishments, you will likely find a more limited workforce that may not meet your needs.
Finding applicants with previous experience in your industry is crucial. These employees would be familiar with working a register, positive customer service practices and save training time.
Hiring experienced workers who are used to a fast-paced environment, multi-tasking, and appeasing unhappy and inpatient customers are also excellent decisions.
It is important to note that these strategies are not foolproof. Equally if not more important than a candidate’s skillsets checking all the boxes are their personality and temperament.
An employee who is a wiz at the register and has customer service or stockroom experience is not all that valuable if they are rude to customers and co-workers, lazy, or consistently late to work. If you can, take the time to check references so that you don’t inadvertently hire someone who will have a negative impact on morale.
Having great seasonal staff gives managers and senior employees more time to track quick-moving product to ensure it is constantly being restocked from the storage room, and so that they can call distributors to have more delivered the next day. It also gives full-time staff time to turn their attention toward shoplifting. Crowded, fast-paced stores present an ideal time for thieves to go unnoticed.
One of the best deterrents to shoplifting is solid customer service. By greeting every customer and asking if they need help, holiday and full-time staff can subtly let potential shoplifters know that they are being watched. You might also want to consider hiring seasonal workers with a loss prevention background.
Unfortunately, sometimes managers also have to focus their attention on potential dishonest employees. These workers may pass along discounts or skip scanning items for family and friends or take advantage of a hurried closing atmosphere by concealing merchandise in their backpacks when they leave.
Conducting bag checks, teaming up temps and full-timers for job responsibilities and, in this case, following your instincts about suspect employees, are all helpful ideas. As chaotic as your store may seem during the holidays, a smart plan successfully executed makes for a smooth and profitable holiday season.
