Do you have busy times when you need to hire extra staff to cover hectic periods? Christmas cover can be crucial.
If you’re a West Midlands employer you might well need extra staff – it’s the UK’s fastest growing region outside of London and the South East! Many organisations thrive on seasonal events where extra staff are needed, especially at Christmas and New Year. Birmingham NEC and Bullring hold many events around this time, so extra staff is a necessity for them – and might be for your business, too.
Dealing with seasonal staff fluctuations might seem daunting or time-consuming, and when staff are unlikely to be around for long it’s tempting not to bother with any sort of paperwork or contract – especially temporary and zero hours contracts which have had such bad press lately.
Zero hour contracts can help Christmas cover
Over 1.5 million UK workers are on zero hour contracts and they’re perfectly legal but it’s fair to say there is a wave of negative publicity surrounding them with employers such as Sports Direct and McDonalds coming into the spotlight for their use of them. However we believe that used in the right way they do have a place.
- Christmas cover and summer holiday cover are exactly the time when these contracts come in useful- you don’t know quite how busy you are going to be or which staff member will be off with the dreaded winter bugs so you need a few people to use as a back up plan.
- On the flip side lots of students are home from university or taking a break from studying and would like to earn extra cash- and can be flexible about when they work.
- Fairness is key, staff will want to earn money but won’t just sit and wait for your call- they are likely to be doing similar jobs elsewhere so try and plan and agree a few shifts in advance, and don’t get annoyed that they have booked work elsewhere.
- Treat staff well it can be a great way to recruit talent as they’ll want to come back.
- If someone works for you on a regular basis, for a number of weeks and months, then they are more likely to be established as an employee so keep reviewing their status and switch them over when you can.
- Temporary and part-time contracts are also options to consider when taking on extra staff in busy periods.
CitrusHR Consulting specialises in just this type of situation – and we can take the weight off your shoulders at a time you need it most. Don’t forget, we’re a small, friendly team built from scratch by two university friends who wanted to deliver the best possible creative HR solutions. So, we’ll always have time for you!
We’d love to hear from you – get in touch on 0844 8546704 or email us at info@citrushrconsulting.com to find out how we can help.