The flexibility of casual staff can be absolutely crucial to your staffing strategy – especially during peak periods. Unfortunately, casual staff churn is costing Australian businesses $385 million in avoidable recruitment costs and it’s getting worse. With the costs of replacing churned staff growing, it’s becoming more and more important for employers to understand how to keep their casuals for longer.
The first step to keeping casuals on is ensuring they’re productive and engaged and the best way to do that is by starting them off on the right foot. Proper onboarding procedures see 53% of casual staff stay with a business 3 times longer than the 10-month average.
With casuals usually coming on to your books at your busiest times – it’s easy to neglect onboarding or miss some of the important bits. So, to help out, we have compiled a list of common mistakes you can avoid when next bringing a causal into your business.
1) Poor Communication Means A Poor First Day
Before your casuals start, be really clear about what they need to be prepared for work. It is really hard to win over a casual who was humiliated when they rocked up in the wrong uniform – especially when it happened because you neglected to tell them to wear something specific. Be sure to let them know exactly where and where to meet, what to bring and how they should prepare for day 1.
2) Unwritten Rules Are Easy To Break
Have specific food in the breakroom that’s up for grabs and other stuff that is strictly do-not-touch? Make sure your causals know how to tell the difference between free food and someone else’s lovingly prepared lunch. Unwritten rules might seem obvious to you but it’s important they’re communicated to every new hire, even those who are only around every so often. Things to think about include, appropriate break times, shared amenities and all-staff email etiquette.
3) Don’t Leave Them Without A Lifeline
Left alone with questions casuals can feel stranded. You probably can’t be next to them the whole time, so make sure you introduce them to a point-person: someone to lean on if they have questions or concerns.
4) Fill Them In On The Ins and outs
Not every office space is brand new. While you may have gotten used to all of the quirks and character in your workplace, your new casual likely won’t know that that one bathroom door is extremely tricky to unlock or that a certain shelf can fall down quite easily if bumped in a certain way. Let your temp staff walk away from their first day of work with one less embarrassing story to tell at parties by filling them in on all of the little twists and turns of their new workspace.