The holidays are the busiest shopping season of the year for retailers. That means employers are looking to hire additional holiday retail workers.
Holiday sales can account for as much as 30 percent of a retailer’s annual revenue.
To handle the demand, retailers often ramp up seasonal hiring. Extra employees can help with customer service, sales, and order fulfillment.
Lately though, it’s becoming harder for businesses to find the best talent for the job.
Easier Access to Pay
Firstly, employees who take on seasonal work are usually looking for extra money for the holiday themselves.
In most cases, retailers pay weekly or biweekly. And with a tight job market, employers may need to rethink that schedule for holiday retail workers.
When low-wage workers don’t get their paychecks on time, they’re more likely to use payday lending. Unfortunately, payday loans come with large fees. These high interest rates and fees can push employees into dangerous financial territory.
Therefore, employers should give access to earned wages to help employees avoid these situations.
Scheduling Ideas
For starters, set schedules in advance, text shift reminders, and limi work hours help employees not feel overwhelmed.
Additionally, employers are encouraged to hire more workers than they predict they need. Having a large list of employees to call ensures there are rarely scheduling gaps.
And if manually organizing employee schedules sounds challenging, consider using a POS system.
Referrals and Incentives
Often, the biggest costs of hiring come from waiting. Retailers who are under-equipped to lose out on valuable sales.
To cut down hiring times, offer referral incentives to employees. Referrals of friends or other reliable workers can lead to faster interviews. These could include gift cards or signing bonuses.
Having the right staff for the job can reduce stress. Therefore, employers can maximize their success when they take the time to focus on their employees’ stress levels.