The best ways to find and hire seasonal employees

Yes, the Taylor Swift + Travis Kelce romance is very cute, but nothing really gets our hearts fluttering quite like some #operationalromance.

Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• A policy template for your business’ commitment to career development.
• How to find seasonal hires for your busiest time of the year.
• Keep track of your employees’ training progress with reporting.
• How your SMB can stay ahead of the competition with continuous training.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Employee Professional Training and Career Development Policy

Nobody wants a stagnant career. Whether they want to learn new skills, improve the ones they have, or reach for their next promotion, people are constantly looking to explore their career paths. 

In fact, the demand for professional development is so high that a whopping 93% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their careers. 

So, if you want to keep the right people working at your business, you need to provide them access to opportunities for continuous learning and professional training. And show them that you’re invested in their individual goals and aspirations.

👉 Share your commitment to professional development from the start with this Employee Professional Training and Career Development Policy template. With it, you can outline your company’s dedication to each employee’s career aspirations and list the different opportunities — internal and external — they have access to. Edit the template to meet your business’ unique needs, and it’s ready to share with your team.

‍Want more templates to help you build your business playbook? Check out our entire template archive of free, multimedia-enhanced, and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Try for free.

‘TIS THE SEASON

Seasonal hiring is upon us! Here’s how to find the top talent you’re looking for.

Your temporary workforce is out there.
It’s just a matter of finding and onboarding them (the right way). Big companies — like Amazon, UPS, Starbucks (we know there are lines out the door for that PSL), and even New York Fashion Week — experience demand surges during the fall and holiday seasons and up their employee count accordingly.

So the real question is: How do these companies find reliable workers, convince them to come on board (when there are so many other seasonal work options), and ensure they fulfill their contract with you? Here are some tips to making it happen from these season hiring giants:

Tip #1: Appeal to your target demographic.
A great place to look for extra help is nearby college campuses. Students are looking for experience in their field — and your industry could be right up their alley! Bonus points if you offer to write a letter of recommendation for them after they complete their temporary employment with you.

Tip #2: Make workers sign contacts and disclose availability upfront.
Those looking to make quick cash for a season and dip out don’t scream “reliable.” But they absolutely can be — especially when you hold them accountable for things like their working schedules (especially when holiday work is expected), staying loyal to your company (not working for competitors on the side), and giving you a two-week notice of resignation (to give you plenty of time to find someone new).

🔥 Tip: Write up holiday schedule, side gig, and employee resignation notice policies in Trainual — just for your temporary employees. Then, require each new hire to e-sign the policies so you can be sure they stick to your important guidelines.

👉 See more tips for seasonal hiring.

TRAINUAL TIPS

Here’s how to get individual and team progress reports in seconds.

Keeping your team accountable for completing their training is one of the most important features you need in a training platform. In Trainual, you can see your entire team’s progress at a glance and in-depth reports for individual employees.

To check it out, click the “Reports” dropdown on the left menu and select “People report.” Here are the two types of reports you can pull from this section:

1. Individual reports
Click “View details” on the far right of any team member to see their in-depth individual progress report. You’ll see a snapshot of their overall completion and information, plus their:

• Training progress — what’s overdue, in progress, not started, and completed.
• Completion by subject, topic, and test (plus whether they passed or failed). 
• E-signed documents and full reports — ready to download with a click.
• And more!

You can even filter individual progress reports to only show content with certain completion scores, statuses, test requirements — or even what’s been assigned to select roles. 

2. Team-wide reports
View your entire team’s progress at a glance on the main People report page. Or, filter your report to only show people with certain completion scores, roles, teams, and last active date.  

Ready to see who’s crushing it (and who needs a boost)? Find out in one click.

👉 Head to the People report page. (Need a Trainual account? Try for free.)

LEVEL UP

How to upskill your team so your business doesn’t fall behind

We’re falling behind??
Not necessarily — but remember that a business is only as strong as the team behind it. Hiring the right people for the right roles can make or break a business, and that’s only part of the battle. Retaining your best employees means providing them with the benefits they need for a successful career —- which includes professional development.

And it’s not just a benefit for them. Investing in your employees is an investment for your company’s future. Because making your team better is only going to reap positive rewards for your business.

Makes sense. So, what does a continuous training program look like?
It’ll depend from business to business — no team is built the same, and their priorities will differ depending on what industry they’re in and what stage they’re at in their careers. But, each continuous learning program should prioritize these three areas:

1. Soft skills.
Soft skills training can be overlooked because it doesn’t necessarily translate into any specific output, but it’s still incredibly important. Consider soft skills training for things like communication, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving (just to name a few) — they help employees navigate the other aspects of their career outside of their technical responsibilities. These soft skills help them work well with their teams, understand and empathize with customers, and solve uncommon issues.

2. Technical certification.
Think of it as the foundation for all employee training. From areas like manufacturing to supply chain management, marketing, and business analytics, there’s certifications available. And every employee at your business should have technical certifications for the areas they’re responsible for.

And technical certification is continuous. As new technologies and strategies emerge, you and your team need to stay up-to-date on anything new that enters your industry. That way, you can update your training standards as needed so your business can stay ahead of the competition.

👉 Find out the last way to upskill your team.