We must deliver on our promises this Christmas
You have put so much time and effort into recruiting your Christmas Casuals.
Many will be new to the workforce; they will be excited to have finished the school year and are now ready to get valuable work experience.
It is very likely that 70% or more of your team, for the important Christmas and New Year sales period, will be casual employees.
If casual team members make up a large percentage of your workforce, the longer they continue working for you the more beneficial it can be for you. The better their product knowledge and systems knowledge will be. They will form deeper relationships with your team members and customers and will develop more brand loyalty.
On the flipside, there is a danger for retailers that if their casual team members do not feel valued, appreciated, or cared about it will impact their desire to go above and beyond for the customer and the brand or to volunteer more of their effort willingly.
With such a large causal workforce at Christmas, it makes sense to take good care of them.
this holiday season.
Invest time in getting to know them and help them feel part of the team quickly
The more you can show genuine appreciation, support and care, understanding their goals and displaying a truly collaborative approach, the quicker your casuals will become more committed and care more about your customers and your results. They will embrace striving for sales targets together for you.
A little gesture can go a long way; treating your Christmas casuals as a valued member of the team from day one, will pay dividends in their performance and engagement.Manage expectations, both yours and theirs
How many shifts are they likely to receive? Do they know this and understand why?
Have you communicated how you allocate shifts? If it is based on their sales or performance, let them know that as part of the induction process.
If there is an opportunity for your Christmas Casuals to become a permanent part of the team, let them know what you are looking for so that expectations are clear.Give feedback
Find positives in their performance, fill their cup, even the smallest encouragements will build their confidence. It will also mean they are more open to listening to constructive feedback. Remember, for many, this will be their first experience in the workforce. If you are not happy with aspects of their performance, let them know and show them what you want so they can see what is expected.
Be transparent. Don’t let cutting or reducing their shifts be the way they receive feedback.I cannot stress enough that this relationship needs to be build on mutual respect, care and trust. It is the season of goodwill, after all.