A report said that India had increased its number of seasonal jobs by 13%. During peak periods, there's usually a rapid uptick in customer demands. It's crucial that companies meet those demands as it assures their growth. So, they hire seasonal workers who can lessen the burden of their permanent workers.
Apart from hiring the right people for the job, companies should also ensure that they get them up to speed quickly. Organisations have little time to train them to adapt to the company's ways and job positions. That's where seasonal employee onboarding comes into play.
What is onboarding for seasonal workers?
Seasonal employees are employees who are hired temporarily by the organisation. They are employed to manage the growing business needs during peak seasons. Seasonal employee onboarding is the process of integrating seasonal workers into the organisation for a certain period of time.
Seasonal onboarding is different from normal employee onboarding because the employees should be trained effectively in a short period of time. It is critical for increasing the company's engagement and productivity. This article discusses a few strategies that can help companies during the onboarding process.
5 tips for Seasonal Employee Onboarding
1. Make use of microlearning methods
First things first, keep the training session short. This is mainly because the attention span of human beings is decreasing these days. Seasonal workers have to learn a lot of things within a short period of time. So, these short training sessions will fit perfectly into their schedules. Additionally, they can learn and, more importantly, retain the information effectively. Intersperse practice sessions throughout the training process.
Small learning modules like a quick training video can be rewatched easily. Through these videos, they can review and learn new skills and information even during their short breaks.
2. Encourage them to engage
How do you engage seasonal employees? Use gamification as a part of the training program and encourage group learning whenever required. New employees learn and perform their best in collaborative and relaxed environments. Allow seasonal workers to engage with each other and with permanent employees as well. Seasonal workers will have a lot of queries regarding the organisation and job role. Pairing them with a permanent employee will reduce the chances of errors and misjudgments.
3. Create a mobile-friendly learning process
Most people use their phones to look up any information they need. Make sure to build a mobile-friendly e-learning program so that they can check out the videos and other information wherever and whenever possible on their phones. If the company currently doesn't have a training program online, adopt an online onboarding program. It is easier to find the required information when all the reference materials are available online in the form of PDFs, FAQs and videos.
4. Conduct effective assessments
Although companies are looking to meet the increasing business demands through seasonal hiring, the employees expect to learn and grow in their careers with this experience. Make sure that the companies provide personal feedback on any assessment conducted. These tests are used as opportunities for companies to give them the feedback and recognition that they deserve. It will motivate them and help them improve in areas they lack.
5. Make them feel included
Seasonal workers should be treated the same way as permanent workers. Make efforts to let them know the impact they have made in the business processes. Make them part of the decision-making process.
With an engaging and time-effective onboarding in place, the seasonal workers will be better equipped to perform their tasks effectively. By adopting these measures, companies can ensure that their seasonal employees have a fun and productive training period.
Visit Imarticus Learning to learn more about modern onboarding techniques.
