Our company operates on the FTO system, “Fill the Order.” We track our results every single day. You can not have a solid FTO without attracting and retaining great employees, especially this time of year.

To accommodate the expected increase in package volume, UPS plans to hire approximately 100,000 employees this holiday season, the company announced in September.

“We expect another record peak season this year, with daily package deliveries nearly doubling compared to our average of 20 million per day,” said Jim Barber, UPS’s Chief Operating Officer.

UPS isn’t the only business gearing up for a busy holiday season. For the retail sector, who is responsible for many of those extra UPS packages, the holiday season is a critical time. According to the Census Bureau, some companies bring 33% of their annual revenue during the last two months of the year.

A myriad of industries, in addition to online and brick-and-mortar retail businesses, find themselves seeking seasonal help to close out the calendar year. Sectors impacted by the holiday season include restaurants, catering and party-planning companies, enterprises related to warehousing, shipping, and packaging as well as tourism mainstays involving the travel industry, lodging, and such.

“The flood of hundreds of thousands of job openings combined with a tight labor market gives more agency to job seekers to target companies that they want to work for, rather than just picking what’s available,” notes Daniel Zhao.

In other words, job seekers can afford to be picky. Some may be passing seasonal job opportunities through a potential-full-time-position type of screening process, which will nudge them to pursue a company that offers the best fit. This fact requires those hiring “seasonal help” to banish any mindset, process, or attitude that would condone a less than “best foot forward” effort because of the “seasonal help” label.

As another indication of how tight today’s labor market is, Andrew Challenger reminds us, “Wages are rising at a relatively quick pace, and companies have to compete early to make sure they have the necessary talent in their stores.”

No doubt, the competition for talent will be intense this holiday season. To combat the slim pickings as a result of historically low unemployment rates, invest time and energy in these five strategies.

1.  Strive for accuracy in a short-and-sweet format for job descriptions.

  • Nate Masterson, CEO of Maple Holistics, advises, “Write bullet points rather than paragraphs, and make sure that the information gives an accurate description of the job.”
  • Is lifting required? Will the employee be standing for long extended periods? Knowledge and experience with operating machines/forklifts? Customer service expertise? Proficiency in computers?
  • “Be as specific as you would be in creating the job description for a year-round employee,” suggests Janet Attard. Imagine having to replace, mid-season, temp workers who quit due to job responsibilities being glossed over. What a disaster not to mention a perfectly fine way to create a customer service nightmare during the busiest shopping season of the year.

 2.  Contact past seasonal employees. 
Seasonal employees from previous years make excellent candidates on several counts. They “know the ropes” and will be able to hit the ground running. Of course, only contact those with a proven work ethic who fully lived up to their responsibilities in the past. Waste no contacting those who make that A-list, snagging them before the competition does.

3.  Ask recent retirees to do an encore.
Seasonal work appeals to retirees who could use some extra money but are no longer interested in yearlong, full-time, or a permanent position. Their years of experience will pay big dividends in especially busy times when productivity and customer service are crucial.

4.  Treat seasonal workers with the respect and concern the regular staff enjoys. 
Again, this will assist in retaining the seasonal help you hire in October-early November through the end of the season, which for many sectors stretches into the early days of January. It will also impact seasonal hiring efforts in the years to come, as a “great employer” reputation will offer a distinct advantage.

5.  If your business fits in the small to mid-size category, leverage this fact in advertising.

6.  Be more flexible and open-minded regarding the Ex-Offender labor market.

7.  Shorten the overall hiring process.
It will help ensure that candidates do not end up elsewhere while you consider them. When it is possible, replace interviews with immediate starts with an evaluation. It will make you more competitive by speeding up the “start-work” process.

Many workers admit to a preference for the close-knit, family-like feeling embodied in smaller companies. They appreciate more easy access to company leaders and enjoy seeing the importance of their role and the impact their efforts have on the enterprise.

At Action Staffing Group, we listen twice and act once – correctly. As your premium brand for 24/7 staffing solutions, our best practice principles include maintaining a top-quality labor force, utilizing E-Verify, and embracing diversity in hiring. Give our team a call today to see what Action Staffing Group can do for your company.