How to manage the influx of temporary help

Hiring temporary workers to help deal with the rush of holiday shoppers is an annual ritual in retail, but there are many HR challenges you and your management team face. So give yourself an early present by going into this season prepared.

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Ready Your Management Team

It's more than likely you will have managers in your stores who are fairly new to the retail world. They will need more hand-holding than your seasoned retail workers. Here are some tips to help everyone adjust:

• Consider putting together a half-day workshop specifically geared toward managing a temporary workforce. If you're using an outside service to fill the temp positions, invite a manager to speak with your team.

   

• Assign a more seasoned manager to act as a buddy for each new manager. This way, the newbies will have someone to go to if situations arise when HR is not available.

Modify Orientation and Training

Tailor your orientation and training programs to the temporary workforce's specific needs. Keep the following in mind:

• Conduct classes in the evenings and weekends so part-time seasonal workers can attend.

   

• Avoid going over employee benefits when your temporary workforce is not eligible. If you have regular employees in the same orientation classes, consider having them stay after class to address those issues.

   

• At the very least, provide basic training so your new employees don't land on the selling floor or in the back office unprepared. Don't just dump new hires into departments without any formal training -- this is certainly a plan for disaster.

   

• Restrain from overloading your temporary staff with information they don't need to know. If their jobs will end before seasonal returns begin, don't spend hours going over return procedures when a 30-minute session might do.

Keep Communicating

No matter how chaotic things get, keep your management team in the loop. Managers don't like to have five new employees show up in their departments without advanced notice.

Also, let your managers know when people won't be showing up so they can plan accordingly. Not every temporary employee will make it through training. Your managers need to stay informed so they can shift people around to cover for unexpected events.

Coping with Turnover

Turnover is not a new concept for people in retail. These tips should help you deal with it during the busy holiday season:

• Prepare your managers for its inevitability.

   

• Continue interviewing people, even if all open positions appear to be filled.

   

• Develop a relationship with an outside temp agency in case you need to bring people in quickly.

   

• Cross-train your regular workforce so employees can quickly be moved into key positions.

Keep Smiling

How well you handle the seasonal influx of people may very well determine how far your career in retail will go. Remember to stay positive even when everything appears bleak. You will make it through this holiday season, just as you have in the past. All it takes is a solid game plan and a good attitude.

Additional Articles in This Feature:

• The Seasonal Process
• Cool Holiday Jobs
• ADA Compliance in Retail
• Your Advice for Working the Holidays in Retail
• How Retail Managers Can Stay Sane for the Holidays
• From Seasonal to Permanent