How to plan ahead for holiday-staffing needs

Does your company struggle with staffing or servicing needs? Sidnee Peck, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, is here to provide you with helpful advice during this hectic holiday season.

By Sidnee Peck  |  Director, Center for Entrepreneurship

The holidays are a challenge for our company because we struggle with staffing or servicing needs. How can we better handle this?

There are a few things you can do this year, but the best advice I can offer is to take notes now for next year. You should be measuring the vacation time that employees are requesting (how many days and when), the number and timing of hours you feel understaffed and the busy periods for your company or retail location.

Design a logbook or spreadsheet, if you don't already have a software program that can manage this for you. Make detailed notes and set aside time in the next slow period to devise a plan for the 2015 holiday season. Creating a strategy for next year with this year fresh on your mind will give you a running start when you start thinking about this next October. For this year, try these quick ideas:

Engage employees in planning.

If you have a business that has low turnover (i.e. loyalty), then let your employees know you are using this year's holiday to plan for next year and request their input or assistance with tracking. This not only improves the data you're gathering, but it also creates buy-in from employees because they are a part of the decision-making process.

Use existing industry resources.

If you're in a high-turnover business, you can look to industry guidance on temporary or seasonal hiring for a store or restaurant of your size and reach. For employees who are temporary or seasonal, have a very specific and detailed agreement and set of requirements, such as date and time commitments. For example, if you know that Dec. 20-24 is the busiest time for you, then require that all seasonal employees are available to work those days.

Ask for all holiday time-off requests from permanent employees now, if you have not already done so.

The more advance notice and leeway you have for staffing, the better. Again, let employees know why you need this information and how it helps you run a better business. Next year, request time-off notices as early as possible and give yourself even more room to manage.

Be creative with current staff.

Look at the needs of the busy time or a time when many will be on vacation, and see if staff can fill new or different roles. This can sometimes be fun for employees, to get to do something different from their usual work. If it is an undesirable role, then make it into a game or tie an incentive to it.

Communicate with customers.

If you're unable to be at the desired staffing level, then identify creative ways to avoid disappointing consumers. If you have a physical space, perhaps use signage to better direct customers or let them know what to expect (perhaps inviting them back when you know you'll be less busy).

Consider an iPad at the front of your store to gather names, numbers and emails, so you can contact customers outside of the rush to get orders from them. If you have an online store, make sure the messaging is clear and simple, including the last day to order for Dec. 25 delivery, any backorders or wait times, and again, ways to gather information when you cannot meet exact needs.

The holiday season can be stressful for business owners, but consider this a time to deepen relationships with employees and customers by showing them how deeply and truly you care about their needs ... and that you appreciate their understanding in return.

First published in The Arizona Republic, December 2, 2014.