Looking for skilled, enthusiastic seasonal workers can be a difficult and time-consuming task. But, ensuring that you have a team who will impress your customers should be essential to your HR strategy. One way to make your seasonal hiring process easier is to retain employees from the previous season. It won’t only save you recruiting and training costs, it’ll make sure your team is qualified, experienced, and committed to your business.

Here are seven tips to help you retain skilled seasonal workers, and strategies to find new ones when needed:

1. Ask Your Employees To Return

If you want your seasonal employees to return – tell them. Consider doing exit interviews at the end of the season to find out why some employees are keen to return and not others. You’ll find out if it’s personal circumstances, like completing school, or if you’re not being competitive enough in your offering. This information will help you understand areas for improvement in your HR policies and benefits. If you get them to sign a contract agreeing to return for the next season, you’ve saved yourself time and money.

2. Keep in Touch Off-Season

Whether you send them a quick “Hello” or invite them to a staff event, think of ways to stay in contact with your employees in the off-season. It’ll make them feel valued and top-of-mind and more likely to spread a positive message about your business to their friends and family.

3. Offer Incentives for Them To Return

Offering incentives to your employees is a great way to inspire them to return the next season. You could provide higher wages, more responsibilities, non-monetary bonuses, or even training for a more permanent, supervisory role.

4. Keep It in the Family

If your seasonal employees can’t return for reasons unrelated to the job, ask if they have friends or family who might like to work for you. Offer them a recruitment bonus as an incentive, whether monetary or for free products or services. Those who have enjoyed working with you won’t hesitate to recommend you to their network.

5. Be an Employer of Choice

Being an employer of choice is about creating a workplace that employees look forward to going to. It’s about being positive and fun in your communication, creating opportunities for work-life balance, and focusing on teamwork and training. Not only will it benefit your recruitment efforts, but it will also create a reputation for your business that attracts qualified workers, looking for long-term positions.

6. Don’t Only Concentrate on Students

Many retirees are now looking for temporary and seasonal jobs to supplement their pensions and keep their brains working. This is an excellent opportunity for you to employ mature and experienced staff who are likely to be loyal to your business.

Also, consider hiring international workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Many international workers are looking for temporary roles to gain more experience.

7. Look To Partner With an Opposite Season Business

If you only need seasonal employees for the summer, look to partner with a similar type of business that needs workers for the winter season.

For example, a ski shop in Whistler may need help through the winter months, but not need as many employees in the summer. They could partner with a bike shop or zipline business to employ the same worker for the summer season. In the end, you provide the employee with consistent employment and gain an experienced and trustworthy worker.

Taking time to retain seasonal employees can help relieve some of the headaches associated with the seasonal hiring process. It makes sense to keep hold of the employees you’ve already invested in, so make your business stand out and give them a reason to keep coming back for more.

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