Seasonal or short-term employees typically get a lot of attention at the beginning of the employment relationship and during the working season itself, but we don’t focus as much on the end of the relationship.
At the start, you need to take care of the admin and compliance requirements of bringing someone new into your business, and then there’s navigating the performance and cultural aspects of employing someone whose date of departure is already set.
But what about the last part of the relationship, as the season reaches its end or the project gets delivered? Sure, you’ve got the typical end-of-employment compliance bits and pieces to sort out, but a well-planned and well-implemented offboarding should be more than that, turning your seasonal or short-term project workers into a pool of talented people you can employ if and when you need them.
The keys to successfully wrapping up with seasonal employees involves smoothly managing their transition out of the business, taking care of your legal obligations, and showing appreciation for everybody’s contributions. So let’s have a closer look.
Key strategies for finishing up with seasonal staff
Communicate clearly (and often!)
From the start of the relationship with your seasonal employees, ensure they understand that their roles are for a fixed term, with clearly stated start and end dates (it’s especially important to state these in the employment agreement and if there’s potential for the end date to change).
Make sure the rest of your team understands that this fabulous new hire (or hires) is here on a short-term basis.
As the end of the season nears, keep everyone up-to-date about when it will finish. Talking with your workers regularly helps you manage expectations and avoid misunderstandings.
Read our post on the best seasonal hiring practices.
Comply with regulations
Adhere to all legal requirements regarding notice periods and calculating and paying employees their final pay, including accrued and entitled annual leave payouts.
Ensure your employment agreements are legally compliant and clearly specify end dates and potential early-finish clauses to prevent legal issues.
Document everything
We often hear managers say: “I wish I’d taken better notes!” about their staff.
During the employment period, maintaining thorough records of performance, attendance, and key conversations is really helpful for end-of-season discussions about returning next year. This documentation can help shape future hiring decisions and prove legal compliance, should complications arise.
Obviously, having a digital platform like MyHR with the full backing of HR professionals will make this much more straightforward.
Conduct exit interviews
We recommend holding exit interviews with all seasonal staff. They don’t have to be long, but should be thorough enough to collect employee feedback on what worked well during the employment period and what could be improved for next season, so you can accurately identify internal successes and challenges, and work on solutions.
Our article on conducting exit interviews is full of best-practice advice.
Understand future availability
Use the exit process to ask employees who have performed well and fitted in with your culture if they are interested in returning for future seasons. Building a talent pool of experienced returners saves significant time and resources on recruitment and training later.
The exit interview is also a good opportunity to let an employee know if they will not be invited back next season. We know this conversation might be difficult, but having it at the end of the season is much easier than having it at the beginning of the next season.
Being clear is kind and allows the employee the opportunity to look for something new rather than being under the false impression that they will be welcomed back again.
You’re not alone when it comes to tricky conversations. At MyHR, we help with these types of discussions every day.
Identify potential permanent talent
As well as looking for returning staff, be sure to keep an eye on exceptional employees who might be a good fit for a permanent role if you have something available, or you may have in the future. The end-of-season review is an excellent time to discuss their interest in a long-term position.
Show your appreciation
Most companies that employ a number of seasonal workers celebrate the end of the season, but even if you only have one or two, you should acknowledge the contributions of your short-term staff.
A simple "thank you", a small bonus for completing the agreed term, or an end-of-year celebration can boost morale and ensure they leave with a good impression of your company.
For your best workers, you could check-in over the off season, letting them know how much their hard work was appreciated, and that they would be welcome back, if they’d like, when the hiring season starts again.
Offer support for their next step
If you can't offer a permanent role, consider helping employees find off-season work by providing references, writing letters of recommendation, or reaching out to your professional network for any job opportunities. This assistance goes a long way to building goodwill and loyalty (you should aim to keep them as loyal customers, at least!).
Use a digital platform
A digital HR platform will enable your seasonal workers to quickly complete necessary offboarding documentation before they move on. Gathering and storing up-to-date contact information will help you keep in touch and keep the door open to future work opportunities.
MyHR can take care of all this and more, from recruiting short-term staff to wrapping up the end of the season, and if there you ever have any curly issues, expert help is just a click or phone call away.
