The summer season is both an opportunity and a challenge for many businesses. Restaurants, hotels, retailers and the agricultural sector are expecting more customers and higher demand, but at the same time face labour problems – either too few or too many seasonal workers at the wrong times. There is also a need to cover holidays for permanent staff and to respond to weather-dependent customer numbers.
Many companies are trying to recruit more people for the summer, train them in a hurry and hope everything works out. But is this the best strategy?
Not really. Winning doesn’t always come from having the biggest or most expensive team – it’s how you use your workforce smartly.
Workforce design means that companies strategically allocate workloads and create a system that ensures the right number of workers at the right time. When seasonal workers are planned smartly, companies have lower costs, less stress and better service quality.
1. Labour design – what is it and why is it important?
Traditionally, the approach to seasonal work has been simple: “We need more people for the summer, we’ll just recruit more.” The problem is that this leads to high recruitment costs, a lot of new training and often uneven service, as new employees may not yet be familiar with the company’s standards.
Workforce design is an approach where companies analyse which tasks are critical for the permanent team and which can be covered effectively by a flexible workforce.
Instead of simply hiring more people for the season, we should be asking for more:
- Which tasks need a stable employee with a larger and longer-term knowledge base and the ability to develop processes?
- Which tasks are more likely to be completed in a short learning curve and easily scalable?
- How can you ensure that the quality of your company’s service does not fluctuate when seasonal workers are used?
💡 Read more: Workforce design as an engine for business growth
2. Permanent + seasonal staff: who does what?
Many companies try to demand everything from their permanent staff – operational work, quality assurance, customer service and guidance. The result is overworked employees and an ineffective team.
Instead, tasks should be divided according to the following logic:
A sustainable team – people who create long-term value
✅ Responsible for service quality and process development
✅ Gain in-depth knowledge of products, services and customers
✅ Managers or key personnel whose activities have a direct impact on business performance.
Example 1 – Restaurant: the permanent team includes a chef, a bartender and managers who know the menus and ensure service quality.
Example 2 – Accommodation: in a hotel, the permanent team should consist of a receptionist and a housekeeping manager who ensure service quality and coordinate the housekeeping team. However, seasonal staff such as cleaners and breakfast staff can be added in season.
Example 3 – Retail: in a large store, you need a permanent team that knows the product range and can advise customers. However, seasonal staff can be added in season to assist in the warehouse and showroom, who do not require such extensive training.
Example 4 – Agriculture: experienced agronomists and machine operators are part of the permanent team, but seasonal labour can cover harvesting and packing activities that depend on weather and yields.
3. The Hub solution – how does it work and why is it important?
Many companies are used to recruiting seasonal workers by hiring a new team for the whole season, hoping that everything will work out. The problem? It’s time-consuming, expensive and workers may not stick around to the end. We know from our own data that seasonal workers hired in good faith for the whole summer find out in early August that they haven’t had a rest, haven’t enjoyed the summer and leave. However, depending on the sector and the weather, the season lasts until the end of September.
The GoWorkaBit Hub offers a different approach.
How does the Hub work?
- We’ll help you put together a team of flexible workers, called a Hub, to complement your permanent staff. The people in the Hub are all committed to working for you for the long term, they are part of your business.
- All you have to do is add the days you need to work to our schedule. You probably already know which days are faster and which are quieter. You can also use it to set up a graph.
We’re also here to help in case of the unexpected – if you happen to be short of manpower the very next day, for example due to sickness or an unexpected rush order, put a new date on GoWorkaBit for tomorrow. - In the hub, the people in your team see the charts you’ve posted and put themselves on the chart. Our experience shows that we can meet 95-97% of all scheduled dates.
- If one of the Hub’s employees indicates that he or she still can’t come to work, GoWorkaBit’s system will help you quickly find a replacement.
- After the work is completed, both parties – the employer and the employee – write down the extent of the work done. On this basis, automatic payment of wages is made and an invoice is generated.
A practical example in a restaurant:
- When the weather’s nice and there’s a terrace full of customers, with just a few clicks from the Hub you can invite seasonal workers who’ve worked there before and know the ropes.
- If you get an unexpected business booking, you can quickly call in extra staff.
4. Step-by-step guide: how to plan and manage seasonal workers
1. If data can be analysed, look at previous seasons.
- Which weeks and days were the busiest?
- Which tasks need more people and which can be optimised?
2. Build an extended team before the peak season
- Create a GoWorkaBit Hub to find seasonal workers you can call back several times over the summer.
- Include seasonal workers you already know from previous years, who you can also refer to the Hub.
3. Make onboarding fast but efficient
- Create a standardised guide for new employees – this could be a video training or a simple to-do list. It is important to write down your expectations, and those of the person you are working for, regarding the outcome of the work. For example, “good service” is not unambiguous and gives rise to different ideas in people. It’s better to have a precise record of good service activities in your company. For example, “1. Greeting customers at the door, escorting them to the table 2. Asking for water with menus” etc.
- Use the mentoring principle, where a more experienced employee mentors a new employee for the required period. It is important that the experienced employee is familiar with this additional task and expectations – is he or she expected to be fully trained, or only to answer questions as they arise? In which case should he or she send the seasonal worker to the manager, for example? Is extra work for mentoring paid separately?
4. Use flexible workforce management solutions
- Call seasonal workers on short notice – GoWorkaBit can even find you a person for the next day.
To sum up: how to make smart use of seasonal workers?
✅ Think about which tasks need a permanent team and which can be covered flexibly.
✅ Use the Hub to keep seasonal workers you know and can call on quickly.
✅ Optimise your workforce planning to avoid overspending and low service quality.
If you need a fast and flexible workforce without a complicated recruitment process, create a GoWorkaBit account and find seasonal workers exactly when you need them!