Every week we comb through the news to find employment trends affecting the hospitality industry so you don’t have to. This week’s topic: introducing temporary employees to your full-time team.
The more the merrier
As the gig economy grows in popularity, businesses in hospitality and foodservice have begun to integrate temporary workers more and more into their daily operations. Utilizing temp staff is a great way to supplement your hiring needs, whether you’re looking to make them a permanent addition to the team or need a few extra hands for an event.
While using temporary (or “contract”) workers comes with several benefits for employees and employers, it’s also important to remember to communicate with your in-house team on why they may be seeing some new faces at work. Without this communication, internal staff can feel like they are being replaced or like their work isn’t good enough. This can lead to full- and part-time employees feeling misplaced resentment towards temps, causing a stressful work environment for everyone.
Here are a few topics to communicate to your team on the addition of temporary workers:
- Why you’re using extra staff. The first step towards transparent communication is by explaining why they’ll be working with temps. Popular reasons like, “we need an extra cook for the banquet tonight” or “we’re short staffed while we cross train servers” will show that contract employees are in place to help the team, not take anyone’s place.
- How to help make them comfortable. When your staff is comfortable on the job, your business will be more successful. Encourage your internal team to introduce themselves or answer any questions their new colleagues may have.
- What to call them. Prior to making more personal introductions, educate your internal team on how to refer to temp employees; this is helpful for creating a welcoming environment. Check out this infographic put together by the American Staffing Association:
Mainly, it’s crucial to emphasize that temporary workers are not there to replace the internal employees, but to help and learn from them. By educating your full- and part-time staff, and creating a clear line of communication, you’ll see a great collaboration between both sets of workers.