Should You Hire Your Seasonal Staff Full-time?

If you own a business, you’ll notice that your workload changes with the seasons. Whether the holidays have you scrambling to keep up with inventory demand or summer is your all-hands-on-deck season, hiring seasonal workers is a great way to fill gaps in your roster and ensure that you can handle the extra pressure.

At the end of a busy spell, it’s up to you to decide whether you should extend the contracts of the top seasonal performers. While your workers’ compensation plan is protecting your growing staff, you’re busy making important personnel decisions that will affect the future of your business. You don’t want to get burned hiring someone who will waste your company’s time and money, but it’s worthwhile to consider that the time and money that you’ve already spent training seasonal workers could be parlayed into a long-term arrangement. It’s a good idea to identify the traits that make an outstanding seasonal worker, and only make an offer when you’re sure the time is right for your business.

What Makes a Good Hire?

A good boss plans for now and for later, which is exactly what you should do when hiring temporary workers. If a seasonal job is like a trial run of a long-term job, which qualities should you seek out when identifying possible permanent staff members?

-Willingness to Learn New Skills. As Spark Hire CEO Josh Tolan writes for the Huffington Post, workers with a positive attitude who are eager to pick up new skills can transition to other areas after the busy season is over. An employee with a solid attitude and a penchant for taking on new tasks could be a good fit for any department down the line.

- Flexible Career Goals. It’s worthwhile to ask your temporary workers about their long-term goals, according to Rebecca Harrell—regional vice president for Randstad Staffing—on Monster.com. If a permanent position opens later, you’ll have a jumping off point for determining who might be the best fit based on their skillset, interests, and degree of flexibility.

Logistics of Growth

Seasonal workers are protected under the same labor laws that apply to your full work force. Depending on which state you operate in, you are likely also legally responsible for unemployment benefits, social security, and workers’ compensation for all your workers across the board. However, benefits like paid time off, retirement plans, and health insurance are not required by law, per the U.S. Small Business Administration. When considering whether to transition a seasonal employee to a long-term role, only proceed if your business has the resources to put together a fair offer package that works for both parties. After all, if you choose the right seasonal worker, you’ll be benefitting greatly from the extra help.

Once busy season hits, you’ll have less time to step back and take a good long look at logistics. Protect your seasonal and year-round staff with a workers’ compensation policy that expands as your needs do.