With the Festive Season getting closer and Black Friday only a month away, many retailers are looking for casual employees to assist over this busy period.
One of the disadvantages of hiring temporary employees is that it can take some time to get them up-to-speed as a productive and contributing team member.
So why bother going through any training at all? By the time they get through it, they’ll be gone. Not to mention that it’s the busiest time of the year, so who’s got time to train anyway?
They’re only there for a short period and they’ll just have to learn quickly on the job, right?
The bottom line is that these temporary employees will still be representing your brand. They are the face of your business and your customers shouldn’t know the difference. In fact, they don’t care and they still want to be helped by someone who is engaging, passionate and happy to be there.
So, what can you do to make this process as painless as possible for you and get them to jump on the bandwagon asap?
Generally, no matter what role a person is doing, they still want to do their best with the tools available to them and need to have a clear understanding of what’s expected.
All you need to do is to follow these 4 tips on how to get your casual employees to feel motivated and to contribute. You’ll reap the benefits of having a team member who will be confident in doing their job, motivated to be there and are wanting to give your customers a great experience.
Induction and Onboarding
Companies don’t often see the need to properly onboard a temporary employee, but it’s important for them to know the ins and outs of the role, their rosters, break times and what is expected of them. It’s really vital to give them a snapshot and a taste of your culture and get them excited to know what you're all about. It doesn’t need to be as intense as the onboarding you take your full-time employees through, just a quick outline of your company’s history, vision and values will set them up with the right attitude and mindset.
Set goals and guidelines
Give them a clear outline of what’s expected of them when they’re at work. Explain to them how they’ll be contributing and if they have a target to work towards, break it down to an hourly figure to make it more achievable.
Be inclusive
Include them in team meetings and activities and ask for their input. Sometimes ‘fresh eyes’ can make fantastic suggestions. Making them feel valued and part of the team is great motivation and will encourage them to perform at their best.
Recognition
It’s easy to overlook your employees especially around busy periods, but recognising and encouraging specific behaviours, reinforces these behaviours and ensures they continue to do them. Employees respond to appreciation expressed through recognition of their good work because it confirms their work is valued by others. When this happens, their satisfaction and productivity rise and they are motivated to maintain or improve their good work. A simple ‘Thank You’ can make an employee’s day and acknowledges that they have contributed.
SVA Case Study
Although not a retailer with Christmas casuals, the Student Volunteer Army faces similar challenges when they need to onboard and train many people quickly in the face of a crisis. Find out how they used RedSeed to successfully train 800+ new volunteers within 4 weeks at the height of the global pandemic.
In Summary
It’s crucial to provide the right training to your employees, whether they are full-time or casual employees. They are the face of your business and they represent your brand, so they should be provided with the right tools to perform their roles. What’s more, some of them will end up becoming part of your future workforce, so it’s in your best interest to set them up for success right from the start!
