Balance Your Holidays & Business
The holidays are here and like most businesses, yours will benefit from a break. Yet you can't just walk away from work on the 1st or 2nd of January and expect no consequences. If your business is to stay afloat during this busy time, you must consider what will happen when it's business as usual again in February. We've created this article for you to find out about the best practices for businesses with their holidays mixed in with their normal operations to ensure that both aspects operate smoothly as possible.
There are also some specific tips about managing holiday staff including how to avoid burnout and what type of holiday tasks can be delegated.
Balancing Holidays and Business:
When you are shorthanded, it is important to make sure your business is operating at peak performance. However this can be hard to do if both sides of the business operate simultaneously. In addition, having work on one side of the business interfere with the other can cause stress for everyone involved. What kinds of tasks should be shared to help ensure that your business operates smoothly?
It is important for your company to have a good holiday policy that addresses how holidays are handled at different times throughout the year. According to smallbusiness.about.com, "the best way to handle holiday scheduling throughout the year is by developing a policy that will allow employees to work their regular schedules while they are on vacation or sick leave." If you develop such a policy and make sure it is communicated along with any different policies, you can avoid problems in your office. However, if your employees don't know of this policy, there will be less control over their time off for the holidays.
It is key that you have a good system for tracking hours which can be an easy way to monitor when employees are working during the holidays. Some people may try to take days off when they can get them even though most places do not do this. A good system of tracking hours can also help you reduce your liability for workers compensation. Small business owners usually do not carry such as a policy because they have fewer employees, but it is important to include one in case you have a claim.
Another concern that some business owners have is that even though they try to keep their business above and beyond the work expectations, it ends up seeming like a lot more than what is really expected. If you want to show that you appreciate your employee's hard work and do not expect too much during the holiday, then maybe you should consider giving them a day off. It is always nice when your employees come to work knowing they will get a day off, even if that doesn't happen since you are not physically around. Some workers are so stressed out during the holidays that they can't even come to work. This is also a good idea if you want your employees to get time off.
Doing so would cause fewer headaches during the holidays and reduce costs in the long run. They should have a break during the holidays, but it isn't necessary to give them holiday pay because it's already expected of them and it is part of their job responsibilities. Some of your employees may work extra during the holidays if you are not around and that would be a sign of appreciation for some workers. Others might just take every opportunity to enjoy their holidays even through working.
Holiday Staffing:
There will be times in which you are forced to hire seasonal staff for the holidays. This is a normal procedure for most businesses, especially retail or small companies that rely on large amounts of workers during big sales seasons like Christmas or Black Friday. Now it is important to understand that there are many misconceptions about seasonal employees, and they shouldn't be looked down upon as lesser than full time staff members. The reality is they have just as much value in your business as a year round employee would have. They have other skills and will usually be loyal to your brand. They probably have been a customer at your store in the past and they may even refer more customers to you while they are working.
Seasonal employees also bring a different quality to your work place than year round staff; they bring positivism, which can help build more strength in the office. Seasonal workers typically feel very lucky to be working at your company, so they are typically more than willing to do their job well and enjoy it. Of course, not every seasonal employee is going to be like this, but most of them will show up on time and try as hard as can possibly be to succeed within that environment.
Many seasonal employees will also bring along their own knowledge to your company. The knowledge they have from their previous place of employment may actually be useful to the business. Seasonal workers are going to have skills in at work and be very willing in sharing them with the rest of the staff and your customers. Some seasonal workers leave with such good memories about a particular job that they will actually refer customers that were referred by them to you. Obviously, this will help your business in the long run since you will have repeat customers that become loyal and loyal customers refer others.
Seasonal workers usually bring a special value to your company because they tend to enjoy themselves while they are working. They will always try their hardest and maybe even put in some extra hours because they enjoyed their time. They are able to make your business successful by simply being a good worker, which means they are going to be more than eager to get their job done.
When you choose the right seasonal employees, they can make a huge difference in how your customers feel about your company. Many people tend to make assumptions about seasonal employees, but the fact is that most of them are just hard workers like anyone else. They have skills that you may not have access to normally and you should never overlook these contributions; as a small business owner, it is important for you to not take any employee for granted.
Test your season staff throughout the holiday season to see if they are properly trained and competent. If you have someone do an excellent job during the holiday sales, you may want to consider recycling them into a full time employee after the holidays. Seasonal employees have many great skills and will be happy to stay with your company for longer than just a few months out of the year.
Other Things to Consider:
You'll also want to factor in cost when hiring seasonal employees. These are typically among some of the most inexpensive workers that you can hire for your company when compared with full time employees.
Conclusion:
Hiring seasonal employees is a great idea for many small business owners, but when it comes to the holidays, you may actually need to hire more. Many people do not understand the true value of seasonal workers and even though they have just as much value in your business as year round workers. These types of employees tend to add a lot to your company and can be a very successful way of marketing your company during the holidays. Seasonal workers are also generally accepted by customers because they are hard-working employees that want to succeed at any job.