With the holiday season fast approaching, many businesses have already started planning for the uptick in business demands. From boosted productivity to year-end deadlines to out-of-office employees, the final quarter of the year can be a stressful time if a company doesn’t have the resources to maintain high productivity.
In a recent poll, we asked our readers how they handle the extra workload during the holiday season, and the majority of respondents use their current staff in one form or another. Tying for first, 36% said they do not make seasonal adjustments, and another 36% said they use their current staff and offer overtime or incentives. Rounding out the top five, 18% hire seasonal/temporary workers through a staffing firm, 3% hire full-time workers, and 1% outsource projects to outside firms.
Another 5% selected the other option, writing in their own responses, including:
- Cross training
- Hire interns
- Mandatory overtime
- The holiday season actually reduces work for us
To show the workforce’s side of this story, Movin’ On Up, Express Employment Professionals blog for job seekers, asked a complementary question to its readers—“Do you plan on looking for seasonal work this year?” Nearly half (49%) of those who responded said “yes, seasonal jobs are a great way to bring in additional income during the holidays.” Another 34% said “yes, seasonal jobs could lead to permanent work after the holidays.” Finishing off the top five, 6% said they don’t have interest in seasonal work, another 6% hasn’t decided to take on seasonal work, and 4% said they’d rather find a permanent job.
More job seekers are looking for work.
According to the results, only 21% of companies plan to hire temporary or permanent employees, yet an overwhelming majority of job seekers are looking for work during the holiday season. With companies doing more with less, it may be harder for workers to find work in the fourth quarter.
If you are the 21% looking for employees, how do you plan on finding them? If your company is doing more with less, how do you maintain high productivity and morale through the final months of the year? Let us know in the comments section below!
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