How to streamline the process, empower your teams, and get ahead of peak season chaos
April 30, 2025
By Chris Harvey
Summer will be here before you know it. For some, it can’t come soon enough — bringing visions of warm breezes, beach days, and family vacations. But for many businesses, it signals something else entirely: the need to staff up fast for seasonal demand spikes.
The good news? With the right approach, seasonal hiring doesn’t have to be a scramble. In fact, when done right, it can do more than just fill gaps — it can strengthen your brand, delight your customers, and build a bench of trained, loyal talent who return year after year.
The key? Start early. Use the right tools. And ditch the spreadsheet chaos.
The Pain Points of Seasonal Hiring
Let’s be honest. If the thought of seasonal hiring is already stressing you out, you’re not alone.
Here are some of the most common challenges:
- Scrambling to fill open roles at the last minute
- High turnover
- Manual scheduling nightmares that frustrate employees and managers
- Compliance risks from missed wage/hour or benefit eligibility rules
- No plan to re-engage high-performing seasonal hires
And when these issues hit in the middle of your busiest season? It can mean lost revenue, negative customer reviews, and burned-out teams.
Start Early to Attract the Best Talent
The old saying is true: the early bird gets the worm — especially in seasonal hiring.
Organizations that excel at seasonal hiring don’t wing it. They plan ahead and know:
- How many workers they need, and where to find them
- Plan and execute their recruitment strategy — and that it's mobile-friendly
- How to scale onboarding and training across roles and locations
- How managers will build and adjust schedules without headaches
- Which past seasonal employees to invite back — and how to reach them
Proactive planning sets the stage for a smooth, successful season.
How Workforce Tech Simplifies the Process
The right workforce tools can eliminate much of the heavy lifting. Look for solutions that support seasonal hiring with features like:
- Streamlined onboarding to help you fill staffing gaps fast by easily integrating new seasonal employees into your workforce ― especially helpful during peak seasons when rapid hiring is essential.
- Flexible scheduling that lets you create schedules based on operational demand, employee availability, and required skills, ensuring that the right number of employees are available when needed ― reducing labor costs and improving service delivery.
Download the UKG resource: Seasonal Staffing for Growing Businesses: 7 Tips for Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention
- Real-time labor insights into labor trends, such as overtime and absenteeism, to help you make more informed decisions about staffing levels and manage labor costs effectively during busy periods.
- Automated compliance management to help you navigate complex pay rules and compliance requirements, which can be especially challenging when hiring seasonal staff. Automating these processes minimizes the risk of compliance issues and ensures that employees are paid accurately.
- Employee engagement tools such as self-service options for managing schedules and time-off requests that enhance employee engagement. Engaged employees are more likely to perform well and remain with the company during peak seasons.
The result? Less stress for HR. More engaged teams. Better outcomes across the board.
Don’t Let Peak Season Catch You Off Guard
Seasonal hiring doesn’t have to be an emergency. With the right plan — and the right tools — it becomes a strategic advantage that saves money, boosts service, and supports growth.
Want to learn more?
Download the UKG resource: Seasonal Staffing for Growing Businesses: 7 Tips for Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention
Thank You to UKG
I’d like to thank UKG for sponsoring this important topic and their leadership on helping organizations manage their seasonal workforces.
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