Prepping Your Small Business for the Holidays, Part 2 of 5: Staffing Up

November and December tend to be busy months for most businesses, and having the staff available to serve customers is crucial to ensuring a satisfactory shopping experience. This is the second part of a five part series, detailing how your organization can better prepare for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

In anticipation of the 2011 holiday season, many retailers are going on a hiring spree, and they are doing so earlier than normal. According to recent data from WANTED Analytics, retailers placed more than 21,000 want ads for new employees over the course of September – a 16 percent increase year-over-year.

Now is the time to hire workers. While shopping doesn’t typically pick up until Black Friday near the end of November, it’s best to hire new workers in advance so they can be brought up to speed beforehand. For shoppers, there is nothing worse than having to wait in long lines only to have the experience prolonged by an inexperienced employee.

By starting early, companies will also have the best chance of reaching the most qualified candidates. If retailers wait to the last minute, it’s possible their competitors will have already poached the most skilled workers. Avoid the rush by putting want ads out early.

The ideal employee

Thanks to the recession, businesses have a lot of options when it comes to hiring seasonal help. College students are always looking for work to pay off their student loans, while older Americans are increasingly coming out of retirement due to the poor economy. It’s an employer’s market right now.

College students will typically have extended breaks around Thanksgiving and Christmas, which works perfectly for businesses as they can get help during the tight holiday season and usually won’t have to worry about paying for fulltime employees afterward. Because they are inexperienced, entrepreneurs won’t have to pay them high salaries either.

Retirees are also creating a larger work pool of prospective workers. While these individuals may come into the retail picture expecting a bit more than college kids, they may also prove to be more reliable – they often have at least 40 years of work experience ingrained into their ethic.

The holiday season is a busy time period, but there is no excuse for being understaffed and not having the best employees. Start early and carefully interview each prospect before coming to a decision.

To stay in the holiday spirit, check out these two fabulous articles by our friends at Business on Main. 4 Ways to Boost Holiday Sales and Cyber Monday: Is Your Business Ready?

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