Staffing your business for seasonal increases in the workflow is a lot like setting up a chess board. The employees with the most to offer, the full-time staff, represent the pieces on the back row, the rooks, knights, and bishops. The seasonal hires brought in for support often resemble the pawns in front of them.
Strategizing your staffing solutions with this understanding in mind maximizes the effectiveness of each employee on the board.
Pawns Are Weak
With respect to the chess analogy, seasonal workers are not as effective as full-time employees. Temporary hires do not get the range of experience available in full-time positions. However, they do provide an excellent level of support to the more experienced staff.
Pawns begin each game in front of the major pieces. They rarely play a game-changing role, but they do help to support more important pieces on the board. Make sure that your seasonal staff provides a similar level of assistance. Do not bog them down with unnecessary onboarding or training. Instead, have them focus on roles that increase the immediate need for manpower.
Rooks, Knights, and Bishops Are Strong
Sending a pawn into the middle of the board without support often results in losing that piece. Experienced strategists will cover the lesser pieces with more powerful pieces like the rooks, knights, and bishops. This strategy protects the pawns while also increasing the amount of reach you have on the board.
Hiring additional staff to meet seasonal demands deserves a similar approach. Rather than putting weaker temporary hires deep into unfamiliar territory by themselves, protect them with full-time employees. Utilize the strengths of your more experienced staff and let them cover the pawns.
Develop Pawns into Power Pieces
Excelling in a seasonal position can be a lot like a pawn making it to the other side of the board. This feat transforms the pawn into any piece a player desires. A similar effect occurs for seasonal employees.
While relating these new hires to pawns can provide a working analogy for your seasonal strategy, understanding the potential they present your overall strategy is essential. The temporary staff that excels in their roles are excellent candidates for permanent positions. Surviving a difficult period with an unfamiliar company demonstrates potential that should not go unnoticed.
Like chess, maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of your seasonal staff requires mastery. No two companies share the same needs when it comes to hiring temporary staff. More often than not, companies present challenges unique to their industry and its demand. The staffing experts of The Performance Group can help develop and improve a strategy for meeting your increased seasonal workflow.
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