Leveraging Temp Workers for Summer Vacation Leave

Ah the smell of sunscreen, the warmth of the summer sun, drinks on the patio by the lake… oh wait a second you are stuck in an office and cannot partake in some of this summer fun.  Hmm, maybe it’s time to book some summer holidays?  Sound familiar?  Many organizations can stress about summer months knowing that employees are looking to take summer vacation time.  Especially in the Okanagan, where many employees book holidays for the summer to enjoy a lot of what Kelowna and the Central Okanagan have to offer.  As a result employers and HR teams are often found scrambling to find coverage for summer months.  That’s where hiring a temp worker can come in handy.

In a previous post we discussed the option of hiring college students as temporary employees, but that is only one option.  Also what if you require a specific skillset or amount of experience?  Hiring a student can work well, but if you need a resource that has a certain skillset than hiring a summer student may not be the best solution.  No need to worry though, hiring summer temporary employees can keep your business running smoothly in the summer even as your employees may be booking weeks off at a time.
Tourism Kelowna

7 Tips for Leveraging Temporary Workers for Summer Vacation Leave
So then, what are some of the practices that you should follow to ensure that you hire qualified staff to supporting vacation time?

  1. Using a recruitment agency such as Aspire is always a good place to start. We typically have an inventory of potential candidates looking for varying degrees of employment.  We have candidates that are looking for a few weeks to a few months of work.  We can help you sift through the candidates and find someone who best suits your summer employment needs.
  2. Once you have a candidate in place, make sure that you clearly communicate what their role is and focus on training them on the tasks that they will be directly responsible for. There’s no sense in training temporary employees on tools, software or systems that they will not be involved in.
  3. Remember to set clear goals and clearly communicate your expectations for your summer help. Treat them professionally throughout the summer, but keep in mind that they are temporary workers.
  4. Avoid making assumptions. Anytime you hire a temp worker, don’t assume that they know everything about your business, your products or services. While you can educate them on the core elements, don’t waste time be filling them with information that they will not need to successfully complete their tasks.
  5. Encourage open communication. Even though a temporary worker may simply be with your organization for a matter of weeks or a couple of months, encourage communication.  Being fresh to your organization may mean that your summer temp may have a unique perspective on processes and may even have some good ideas for improving how you do things within your business.  Listen and even seek valuable feedback and input from your temporary workers.
  6. Build a relationship. If your summer temp help process is to be a strong asset, be sure to keep in touch with temporary workers in case you have future full-time positions available.  This can resolve some of your upcoming recruiting efforts.  Knowing that you’ve worked with this person can provide a sense of confidence in their efforts and their ability to contribute to the team.
  7. Develop a positive, fun and professional culture. Create an environment that welcomes temp employees.  Make them feel a part of the team.  Make them want to work there and do the best job that they can for the duration that they are there.  Respect goes a long way.

As an HR Manager or business owner, with the proper selection of temporary workers, you should have no worries when summer rolls around and your staff begin booking their summer vacation days.  You’ll be ready and your business will flow as usual.

If you have temporary staffing needs or if you need assistance with your HR Strategy contact us at 778-484-0161.  Aspire Recruitment Solutions is the leading human resource solution and employment agency provider to clients in Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops, Northern BC and Alberta. We connect great employers with the best candidates every day.