KEEPING UP TO DATE

Is this your quiet time? Get your business bikini body ready!

At this time of year, we are regularly bombarded with articles about getting ready for summer. Apparently, now is the time to get ready to don the bikini and start exercising so we look our best for the exciting, busy times ahead.

But as a busy business owner, now is the time we often become swamped with work requests due before Christmas and are planning for either the seasonal up-kick or down-turn that accompanies this time of year. So, is your business ready for summer?

For those who are not quite ready, here are 5 great HR tips to take the stress out of the summer season.

Closing over Christmas and the New Year?

If you close your business over the Christmas New Year period, now is the time to inform the team of the dates of the closure. Depending on the award your employees fall under, you may need to provide three (3) months’ notice of the dates. So, get out the calendar, and find when it’s best to shut down for Christmas and New Year and communicate that to the team so they can plan and budget accordingly. Your team will appreciate the heads-up and be able to talk through any issues prior to it becoming a problem.

Ramping up over summer

If summer is your busiest time, now is the time to start recruiting and training the team who will deliver the services and profitability of the business in a couple of months’ time. When you add up the time needed to advertise, review resumes, interview candidates, do reference or other pre-work checks and train your new hires on your systems, there is a lot to get through. Start now for a less stressful and more cost-effective start to the peak period. Keep in mind that if this is a seasonal role, you can engage them as casuals and pay them only for the time they are working and training in the business.

Reviewing systems and manuals

As you are getting ready to employ a team for the holiday rush, take a moment to review the current systems and training manuals. What has changed over the past 12 months that will benefit from a quick update prior to the new members of the team starting? Do you have the right people listed as contacts? A little bit of extra time now will save a lot of confusion later.

Rostering systems

There is technology to assist with almost everything now and the painful chore of rostering on a calendar or excel spreadsheet should be a thing of the past. On-line rostering systems can be extremely affordable and make the challenges of managing employee attendance and ensuring adequate staffing levels are pain free. Some of the systems include automated SMS reminders and the option for employees to swap shifts so that you are never left understaffed.

Planning your team celebrations

Regardless of whether your team have worked hard all year or are newly hired in preparation for the silly season onslaught, planning how you recognise them early can save you a lot of money and take the stress out of the busiest time of year. There are so many great ways to recognise and reward your team that it is a blog on its own! And remember that unused promotional materials are not the ideal gift.

Now you’ve got your metaphorical business bikini body ready, it’s time to enjoy the holiday season and take advantage of everything it has to offer!