Managing Seasonality in Retail

Take Care of the Relationships Between You and Your Workers

The seasonality of businesses does not only affect business owners. Employees often base their lives around their jobs, and they need to be in the loop as much as possible.

If you hire seasonal employees, make sure they understand that this is only a temporary position before you hire them. You may tell them that you could have positions available for permanent workers at the end of the season, but don't be misleading.

Also, inform your permanent workers of the situation. If you need them to work more hours during certain parts of the year, let them know ahead of time. Similarly, if you hire them in season when the business' activity is peaking, and you promise them a full time set of hours, let them know whether or not that will persist in the off-season.

If these steps aren't taken, you will end up with disgruntled workers even if you didn't intend to affect them negatively. They may quit unexpectedly, leave poor reviews online to sway potential employees from applying, and their quality of work may drop if not treated well. It is generally unethical to treat employees this way. You will find employees regardless of the schedule or seasonality of your positions. College and high school students are always looking for summer or winter jobs. They are usually fine with working full-time in season and part-time in the off season. There are always people looking for work, so you can keep them happy and avoid potential negative side-effects.