The Benefits of Hiring Seasonal Workers
Seasonal workers are usually encountered in the tourism, hospitality, construction and agricultural industries, mostly in the summer months but they can also be hired in the lead-up to Christmas too to assist with the busy period.
Some may think that seasonal workers are unskilled and a lower-paid alternative to permanent employees, however, that is not the case. There are many benefits to seasonal workers such as:
- Meet business demand and customer expectations: seasonal employees provide you with the flexibility to increase the size of your team during peak trading periods so that you can continue to provide customers with the service they expect even during busy times.
- Improve morale for the permanent team: you can’t expect your permanent employees to start working double shifts or deferring their annual leave. It’s best practice to ensure that there is sufficient cover for this annual leave.
- Meets skills shortage: temporary workers can help fill the gap with a particular skill shortage during busy periods.
- Return year on year: many seasonal workers are happy to return to work for the same company each year- which is a win for both the employer and the employee.
Legal obligations as an employer
A temporary, seasonal worker hired under a fixed-term contract is entitled to the same working conditions and the same legal rights as permanent employees.
Your main obligations are to:
- Ensure every employee has the right to work
- Provide a Contract of employment
- Pay at least the national minimum wage
- Provide a payslip
- Ensure that the employees’ working week does not exceed 48 hours
A contract of employment for a seasonal worker will be largely the same as for a permanent employee. However, a fixed-term contract will need to have an end date.
