Hiring Seasonal Summer Employees: What You Need to Know

With kids out of school and families going on vacation, businesses like yours are excited about the uptick in foot traffic and online purchases that so many companies enjoy during the summer months. This increase in business means more money in your pockets and more exposure for your company, but it also means that you may need to hire seasonal employees to accommodate the added sales and activity.

The process of finding seasonal summer employees isn’t the most difficult thing in the world for a hiring manager to accomplish, but there are definitely some things you need to know that will ensure your success.

The Early Bird Catches the Best Employees

There are two primary problems with starting the summer hiring process too late. First, you won’t have as much time to screen the potential employees and decide which ones are best for your company and the positions you have available. Second, you might run out of time to properly train the ones that you do hire. Set an early deadline for each part of the hiring process to help cover all your bases.

Social Media Can Spread the Word

Companies often use social media to advertise their products and services, interact with customers, and share news stories related to their industry. Another way you can use social media is to post for positions that your company is trying to fill. This is the perfect venue for seasonal summer jobs because many positions will be filled by young people, and social media is in their blood.

Background Checks Will Keep Everyone Safe

Even though the employees you hire for summer work are temporary, running proper background checks is an essential part of the process. This will keep your customers, your current employees, and any other temporary workers you hire safe while the new employees are at the company. This rule of thumb is also relevant no matter what kind of hiring you’re doing or what time of year it is.

You Should Treat Them Like Regular Employees

Seasonal workers are likely to stick around for a limited timeframe, but that doesn’t mean they should be treated any differently than your regular employees. After all, these temporary employees will be representing your company all summer long, so you should make sure they feel like a true part of the team instead of someone who won’t be around for more than a few months. This will keep up morale and ensure their best performance.

Seasonal Workers Have (Mostly) the Same Rights

The last thing you want to do is treat your employees in a way that isn’t in accordance with the law. Seasonal employees are covered by laws that cover discrimination, overtime, minimum wage, and more. There are some differences, however, so make sure that your Human Resources department understands what they are covered by in a legal sense and what they are not.

Employee or Contractor: That is the Question

Whether you have a choice between hiring a seasonal employee or an independent contractor will depend heavily on the type of business you own. This is another area that you can go over with your Human Resources department. For certain industries, a contractor might be the better and easier choice, but it depends on the type of work and the level of access and control you want to give the person.

Even though seasonal summer employees are typically temporary, it’s essential that they are given background checks to ensure everyone’s safety and security. And you never know when one of your temporary workers will turn out to be an excellent addition to the permanent staff – by taking care of background screening in advance, you’re helping avoid a headache later on. NationSearch can run a series of screenings that will focus on identity, education, criminal records, and much more. Reach out to us today and we’ll take care of everything.