5 Ways to Show Appreciation for Seasonal Staff This Holiday Season

Seasonal employees aren’t just the reinforcements needed to help businesses weather the holiday storms. Oftentimes, seasonal workers go above and beyond to prove themselves to businesses during the holiday rush.

Seasonal workers may not get the same automatic incentives that regular M-F, 9-5 workers do. So, it’s important that they still feel appreciated and valued as much as full-time staff. Their recognition is what keeps them coming back season after season for more employment opportunities.

5 ways to thank your seasonal employees

To make things fair and spread the holiday cheer across the board, there are at least 5 different ways to show respect and thanks to hard-working seasonal staff.

1. Offer discounts on products or services

One way to show appreciation and boost seasonal job offers is to offer discounts on merchandise and services created by the company. At least 64% of associates have a positive response to the products or services offered by the organization they work for.

Some employees believe in and love a product or service that the company offers. In this case, it makes sense to give them a discount, especially during the gift-giving season.

Discounts present as percentages, such as a 30% discount on shoes, or a 10% discount on massages. It may be a fun idea to offer free giveaways as a fun incentive as well. For example, during a holiday party or while playing office-friendly holiday games, management can let prizes come in tiers of products and services.

Full-time staff will likely have access to these products at a discounted price all the time. So, seasonal workers can get these for free, or without having to win first place during a game. This allows them to feel appreciated and given a fair opportunity to experience the coolest parts of a business.

2. Consider offering seasonal staff full-time opportunities

A report showed that 66% of workers apply for seasonal jobs in the hopes of more stability from permanent employment with the company. This is often obvious with how many extra shifts seasonal workers take on. It’s also evident in their positive attitude towards work even without receiving benefits from a business.

Workers will be reliable, positive, innovative, and engaged, all to show an employer that they are worthy of full-time employment. They either need financial stability and apply for seasonal work as their “in,” or they’ve landed on a business to test out a possible career change.

Despite their reasoning, their dedication every holiday season may be unwavering. Therefore, it will be worthwhile for a business to offer them a full-time position whenever possible.

Seasonal workers can prove themselves to be great assets to a team. Showing them that they are worthy of permanently being a part of a business is a great way to applaud them for a job well done.

In case a business is fully staffed with regular employees and can’t squeeze in the extra room, it will be equally as thoughtful to offer seasonal staff on-the-job training. They can receive access to training systems and classes that can help them hone their skills for the full-time job they’re trying to land.

3. Give your seasonal staff gifts

Nothing says “holiday cheer” quite like gift-giving. For seasonal employees, this can be as simple as including them in the holiday gift-sharing plans along with other employees.

They may not know other staff members well. This shouldn’t stop them from participating in a round of Secret Santa. Many temporary employees will enjoy being included.

Having access to the meals and refreshments provided by a company is an easy way to show appreciation.

Seasonal employees may not be in a company’s holiday bonus ledger. In this case, a small monetary token of appreciation in the form of cash in a holiday card, or a gift card to their favorite place will still suffice. If management chooses to go the holiday card route, they can add a personalized note to provide sincere thanks.

Of course, having access to the meals and refreshments provided by a company is an easy way to show appreciation. This allows seasonal workers to stay as focused and fulfilled as full-time staff to do their jobs.

4. Give holiday staff access to resources or benefits

Depending on the size of a business, a temporary or seasonal worker may still be able to have access to benefits. These could look like healthcare, dental insurance, vision insurance, and more. Regardless of how large a business is, a company still should guarantee they have a healthy and safe environment for employees.

Either way, the sentiment that there are benefits available for short-term staff still says a lot about a company. Just because they are working for a short amount of time doesn’t mean they won’t need or appreciate a little help with their physical or mental health.

In the case where temporarily adding another person to a company’s insurance just isn’t practical, it’s still possible to offer them voluntary benefits in the form of healthcare, life insurance, and savings plans. It may not be as inexpensive as the benefits for full-time employees, but the fact that they have access to it at all is a nod towards a company’s care.

Aside from the benefits, seasonal employees can still receive resources for their health and wellness. If a company has yet to adopt a wellness program, now may be the time to consider it.

With this, companies can provide staff with access to healthy foods, “de-stress” zones in the office, and employee assistance programs. Each of these helps workers cope with life’s everyday stresses.

5. Provide seasonal staff with paid time off

Another benefit for some full-time staff may look like paid annual or holiday leave. If seasonal workers don’t get automatic PTO, they could still receive an offer to show gratitude. Seasonal staff may have other holiday engagements as well. They shouldn’t feel unnecessary stress provided to them by a temporary employer.

While they need to have temporary employment, they should get a chance to take some time off. It will be beneficial for them to be absent without compromising their compensation. This is especially the case during the holidays when work is necessary for them to make their family’s plans memorable and worthwhile.

If PTO isn’t even given to regular staff, or simply isn’t in the budget, the gesture of getting off early could work instead. At the very least, this allows seasonal staff to get a head start on spending time with their loved ones.

A little effort to thank seasonal employees goes a long way

It doesn’t take much to show seasonal workers that their labor is important and praised. A little effort can go a long way for small businesses, and large businesses may have more resources and funds available to keep them coming back.

Instead of waiting or guessing what they might enjoy the most, managers could try a combination of all of these ideas. The effort to get the appreciative point across is still recognized by employees. This notion could lift their spirits enough to increase their engagement and work ethic.

Exit interviews are great ways to get the feedback necessary to conduct the best methods of seasonal employee retention possible. This way, companies won’t have to assume what it takes to make temporary employment worthwhile.