Busy seasons can be a great proving ground for new employees. But how can you ensure that the best of them want to stay once their expected tenure is over? Laying the groundwork ahead of time is the key.

Make Them Feel Like Part Of The Team.

Your existing employees may subtly (or less than subtly) make seasonal employees feel like they are not one of the gang. Talk to your team before crunch time begins to explain how important seasonal employees are to the success of your hotel or restaurant. Ask them to help you to identify outstanding seasonal employees who deserve a place on the permanent team.

If you make your full time staff part of the solution, they are less likely to present a problem. Some of them may have once been seasonal themselves. If so, don’t hesitate to remind them how they got their start.

Provide Measurable Objectives.

Often, seasonal employees are moved around a lot, slotted anywhere there is demand. While this may help your business runs smoother, it makes it more difficult for them to experience any sense of accomplishment or work toward success. Create some sort of parameters against which they can be assessed so that they know that they are meeting or exceeding expectations.

Offer Flexibility.

Employers sometimes expect flexibility from their employees without giving it in return. Let them leave an hour or two early if it’s not busy. Be willing to occasionally work around an outside commitment. If you try to squeeze every ounce of value out of temporary employees during the season, they will not be eager to stay on once it’s over.

Pay well.

Margins are slim in the hospitality industry, so you may not have much wiggle room, but when you are competing for the best talent, you may have to pay a premium to attract and retain them.

Create a transition plan.

You anticipate going into a busy period that there will be people you want to keep and those you want to cut loose. Identify each as early as you can in the process. Enhance the training of the keepers and end your relationship with those who are not staying on with kindness and respect.

Finding seasonal employees strong enough to add to your team can be challenging and time consuming. Why not let the experts at Horizon Hospitality handle it for you? We find top candidates and screen them for you, so you can focus on business. Call us today to get started.