Seasonal hiring guide: tips for small business owners

Key takeaways

• Seasonal hiring is the short-term hiring of staff to help you handle predictable surges in business activity during certain times of year.
• Start your seasonal hiring process early and use data from previous years to plan your staffing needs accurately.
• Treat seasonal roles as seriously as permanent positions by providing clear job descriptions, written contracts and thorough onboarding.

For small business owners, seasonality is one of the biggest challenges and opportunities they face. 

We’ll guide you through some of the practical and legal aspects of seasonal hiring and offer some tips for doing the best by yourself, your employees and your business.

What is seasonal hiring?

Seasonal hiring is, quite simply, the short-term hiring of staff to help you handle predictable surges in business activity during certain times of year.

For retail and hospitality, it might mean increasing staff numbers to cope with the Christmas rush, or perhaps it’s tourism operators planning for increased demand during the summer school holidays. Agriculture businesses may need extra hands on the farm during harvesting and packing season, while festivals may only need the majority of their staff for a single week.

Whatever your need, these short-term roles are crucial for your success. A well-planned seasonal hiring program can help ensure customers are satisfied, quality is maintained and your business goals are met.

Best practice tips for hiring seasonal staff

Start hiring early

Plan your hiring timelines by working back from the busy period and start recruiting as soon as possible. The best candidates will look for jobs early and having staff locked in provides more time for training and onboarding. 

Provide clear role descriptions

Treat your seasonal job ads as seriously as your permanent positions. Be clear about the duties, expectations, required skills, exact employment duration and the pay rate. This will help make the recruiting process shorter and more straightforward.

Use data to understand your staffing needs

A major challenge with filling seasonal jobs is to find the right staffing balance – too few staff and you could end up with employee burnout, too many and you’ll lose money on payroll expenses. Review your performance in previous years to estimate your requirements and identify gaps where your business was under or overstaffed.

Recruit through multiple channels

Think about where your ideal candidates are likely to be found. Advertise your roles on job boards, social media, community sites and university or TAFE as required. Ask staff for referrals – having a personal relationship will speed up the hiring process and lead to longer-lasting hires.

Getting the most out of your seasonal staff

Like all employees, your seasonal staff will thrive best with clear expectations, proper training and supportive feedback. 

Providing a positive and professional working environment will not only give your staff the opportunity to work at their best, it will also help with year-on-year retention – seasonal surges come around every year and the more you can turn to the same people, the easier it becomes to manage.

Here are some other ways to set you and your seasonal employees up for success.

• Streamline your application process: Use screening questions to identify top candidates quickly. Keep interviews brief and consistent by preparing a set of standardised questions and let candidates know if they’ve been successful as soon as possible.
• Have backups in place: Candidates for seasonal jobs may be interviewing for multiple jobs simultaneously. Slightly over hire or keep a shortlist of backups in case your preferred candidates take another role.
• Provide written contracts: Even if the job seems straightforward, make sure the schedules, likely shift loads, role expectations, pay (including penalty rates) and end dates are set out in writing for candidates to sign. 
• Create an onboarding program: having unprepared staff can result in safety issues, loss of income and reputational damage. Create a concise onboarding program that runs all your seasonal staff through their key duties, as well as company procedures and policies.
• Offer constructive feedback: Especially in the early days, make sure you’re available to provide coaching and advice when required. Check in with new hires regularly and if the role isn’t working, be confident to part ways before the seasonal rush really begins.

Legal considerations for seasonal hiring

It’s important to remember that short-term employees are covered by Australian employment law and have essentially the same rights and protections as any other employee when it comes to rules around superannuation, minimum wages and dismissal. They’ll also need the same level of relevant health and safety training as permanent employees.

For more information about how fixed-term contracts work and what your obligations might be, check out the Fair Work Ombudsman or talk to an employment lawyer.

Setting yourself up for seasonal success

Seasonal hiring may require a bit of extra planning and effort but getting it right can transform your busiest periods into profitable opportunities. 

By getting started early, planning well and creating a supportive environment, you can ensure smooth operations during peak times and maintain the quality of service your customers expect – leading to more business and more growth.