6 Expert Ways to Engage Seasonal Workers in 2024

‘Tis the season! Whether you need more drivers, cashiers or servers during the holidays or summer months, you need your seasonal workers to be engaged. Engaged workers, who are genuinely and emotionally invested in their employers and their job role, are far more productive, provide superior customer service, have less accidents and will want to return the following year.

So if you’re asking yourself how to attract seasonal employees and how to motivate and engage your seasonal workers, then look no further! We spoke to the experts and read countless material to present you with the top ways you can do just that. 

Here are six ways that you can engage seasonal works efficiently and without breaking the bank.

Too often are seasonal employees considered necessary but not really worth investing in. We get it. Hiring, onboarding and training employees is expensive and time-consuming – applying that logic to seasonal staff might not be high on your list. Here’s the thing, training your seasonal workers really well means that you will have a highly skilled workforce which leads to better customer service and customer satisfaction. 

Don’t overload your seasonal staff with information on the first day, that’s counterproductive and causes unneeded stress. No one can absorb an overwhelming amount of material and information in a few hours or just a couple of days. Instead, train your employees in small doses so they can absorb the material better and can really apply it to their job role. 

Training is also crucial as it reduces workplace accidents as well. In addition, if you spend the time properly training your employees, then you can always have them help in the onboarding process of another staff member. By having other employees helping with training and onboarding new employees, not only solidifies their knowledge but saves you a ton of time and allows you to focus on running other aspects of your business. 

A seasonal employee may not be a long-term, full-time employee but that doesn’t mean they aren’t making huge contributions to your bottom line. Take the time to personally acknowledge their efforts and accomplishments. Make sure you go beyond the standard “Thank you!” 

Here’s what Matt Heller, author of The Myth of Employee Burnout: What It Is. Why It Happens. What To Do About It, had to say about that point exactly: “It’s also important to realize how recognition, in its most basic form, can have an impact. Specifically, in calling someone by name or remembering something about them. Recognizing them as a person and as a human being with thoughts, feelings, aspirations and fears allows you to make a connection with that person that builds trust and respect.” 

There are a few simple ways you can easily show employees your appreciation. For example, get them a small gift card to a local coffee shop or praise an employee’s hard work in a public forum like through social media.

Managers are probably used to their seasonal workers having more questions than their long-term staff; and this is totally understandable! They’re not in the office day in and day out. However, phone calls and emails are time-consuming and not a productive method to effectively communicate with your employees. Additionally, your team shouldn’t have to wait hours or even days to get an answer – whether it’s about an incident or how to work the register or anything in-between – your employees deserve the opportunity to communicate with you in real-time. 

Using a chat app allows employees to reach you at any time – they can either start a private one-on-one chat or can ask the community. With better communication in place, your employees will be better engaged, happier and more productive. 

When you need to bring seasonal workers back for the next season, don’t just bring everyone back. If you bring everyone back, completely ignoring performance, then you’re telling all your top employees that go above and beyond and work super hard, that it’s all just worthless. If anyone can get called back, no one will be engaged, productive or motivated in their performance. 

You want seasonal employees who have a strong work ethic to come back as they’re more likely to genuinely want to come back and will work hard to gain a permanent spot in the company. 

Ask your seasonal employees what goals they have and work together to make that happen. As you encourage employee retention, you also encourage a career path that works in both your favors. Maybe this year, your seasonal employee started off as just another number but the following year, they could be the team lead and then supervisor. Employees who feel that they cannot gain more responsibilities or tenure lose their motivation to succeed in their roles.

Offer your team meaningful work, with plenty of opportunities to climb up the ladder. Your seasonal workers will want responsibility on their plate and to excel in the company, all this leads to them being more engaged and invested in the company meeting its goals.

Sometimes you may have long-term (full time) employees who don’t respect the seasonal workers, this can easily kill employee engagement in a heartbeat and create a very toxic work environment for all employees. Make sure long-term employees acknowledge that seasonal staff are part of the team and that everyone must work together. 

Assign veteran mentors to seasonal employees to develop relationships and to further training for seasonal staff. Team building games are also a great option to help build comradery. Host company outings and invite everyone. For example, take the entire team bowling, attend a cooking class, have a happy hour after work hours and so on. 

Or implement the following incentives which apply to every team member.

Your customers expect amazing service and they don’t care if it comes from a seasoned worker or a temporary one; they won’t even know who is who. Only through employee engagement can you make this a reality, so implement the six tips we highlight above and you’re already there.

Now Bring On The Holidays With Your Seasonal Workers…

Now that you are armed with all the tools to boost your seasonal employee engagement and motivation it’s time to implement your new strategies. It’s essential to any business today that employees are trained properly, with proper training you decrease the potential for workplace accidents, increase seasonal employee retention and increase motivation. In addition, it’s super important you communicate regularly with your employees to keep your whole team on the same page and promote employee engagement. When rescheduling seasonal employees, don’t bring everyone back. Bring only your top notch employees back for the new season and make sure your regular full time employees understand that everyone needs to work together. 

Lastly, offer goals, the opportunity to advance their career and show them appreciation when they perform above and beyond. Always remember that a happy and appreciated employee is also a hard working, motivated and engaged employee. It’s important to spend time to ensure you can provide your seasonal employees with the aforementioned tips. 

Pro Tip: If you’re looking for a digital solution to help improve your seasonal and year round employee engagement, look no further! Connecteam helps thousands of companies improve their employee engagement with a simple and effective employee management app. There are several ways Connecteam can help you boost your seasonal employee engagement and even your year round full time employees as well! 

Some features you can implement include:

• An in-app chat feature where you and your employees can stay connected and in touch in real time right in the palm of their hand! Send GIFS, videos and pictures with a click of a button. 
• Improve engagement with company updates, news and announcements that can be seen through the in-app social feed. 
• To ensure your employees are happy, create a suggestion box or even a customizable survey to get feedback on how you could improve and create an awesome working environment!
• If you want to congratulate or praise an employee who has exceeded sales goals or took care of customer service issues with flying colors, make a public post to applaud their achievements.

Learn more about Connecteam’s employee engagement solutions!

While this list includes several ways you can engage your employees there are tons of other features you can use to help streamline your daily operations as well! With the Connecteam employee management app you can keep all your employees, whether seasonal or year round, connected and engaged.