Hiring Seasonal Employees in Retail: Tips, Strategies, Best Practices​
CHAPTER 7   3 MIN

Benefits and Perks Retailers Offer Seasonal Retail Staff, Including the Seasonal Ones

“Some of the best future retail leaders begin their careers as seasonal team members. Provide them with some training, and offer them some form of a merchandise discount. You want them to be bought in, to feel and be perceived as a permanent member of your business and brand. Customers expect that your retail outlet is professionally staffed; they won’t tolerate a massive deviation in standards based on a seasonal hire or permanent team member. It will just be your brand perception.”
                                                                       
                                                                      – Ray Riley, CEO, ​Progress Retail
Offering added perks to working for your store, beyond the typical employee discounts, can also help when hiring seasonal employees and looking to boost employee morale.

Let’s look at some examples for inspiration:
●  Narrower working hours: One of the biggest challenges for seasonal employees are the long, grueling hours that take them away from their own friends and family. If you can swing it, limit long hours and overnight shifts.

●  Fun team bonding and development: Velouria hosts off-site meetings at local restaurants, cafes and bars as a way to treat the team but also help them get to know the area of Pioneer Square. This turns them into local experts and positions them to build relationships with shoppers, especially during busy tourist seasons.

●  Financial planning assistance: Sidekicker’s Temp Workforce Survey revealed that 18% of workers would benefit from receiving more information about financial literacy. And Gen Zers are facing financial stresses: 19% don’t save any money each month, and nearly a quarter save less than $50 per month, according to the LifeWorks report The Financial Wellness of Gen Z: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

●  Education contributions: Walmart, Starbucks and Chipotle are just a few of the major retailers that are offering scholarships and monetary contributions to staff’s education.

●  Free food: At HealthLabs.com, hourly employees indulge in free catering twice a week. You can also give employees gift cards to local grocery stores or access to the fully stocked break room pantry. Snappy Salads also provides free food to its hourly workers, but they pay careful attention to the nutritional content of what they’re serving. One employee lost almost 60 pounds after taking advantage of the complimentary healthy menu.
●  Fun competitions: Sidekicker notes how one client held a competition to name a donut. Retailers can emulate this tactic for new products or campaigns.

●  Ski passes: Burton Snowboards gives employees free season passes to local Vermont ski resorts, demo gear to test and lessons to learn how to snowboard.

●  Employee days: Outdoor retailer REI’s bi-annual Yay Days are meant to do one thing: Encourage employees to have fun outside.

●  Free products: Penguin Random House gives free books to all employees, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream workers get free ice cream, and In-N-Out Burger staff earn a free Double-Double burger and fries during each shift.

●  Career development opportunities: Offer the option for long-term or permanent employment after the season’s over. ​​​Bon-Ton hires between 10,000 and 13,000 seasonal employees every year and has a 40% retention rate — many of those hires turn into permanent employees.
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●  Transportation assistance: Many retailers give employees free public transit passes. The Home Depot in Boulder, Colorado has a bike station for commuters. Sidekicker’s survey also found 12% of ANZ temporary hourly workers said access to easier transport is a top desired perk.
NEXT CHAPTER   1 MIN
8.  Take Action: Get Your Seasonal Hiring Into Shape