It's that time of year – a chill in the air, pumpkin spice everything, and "Help Wanted" signs in storefronts and on job boards. Retail stores staff up for the holidays starting in September, largely because they need to have people hired and trained by November 1st, ready to help when the gift-buying begins in earnest. With that in mind, we've compiled some best practices for hiring and training seasonal help.

Boomerangs

Most stores have temporary employees who are there for them year after year, local people who have the time or may need a few extra dollars around the holidays. Contact your best seasonal employees from last year to see if they would be interested in picking up some shifts. Previous personnel don't have to go through as much training as a brand-new hire, which cuts down on coaching time for the both of you, and gives you more help to train the newcomers. Which leads us to…

Partner Up

It's important to pair up new hires with someone they like so they will ask questions when needed. While having a tablet device and the PlayerLync software available to employees on the floor is a useful reference, having someone to interact with and explain the finer points of the job is invaluable. If possible, make sure your seasonal help has a couple of people they can work with so they can see the job from multiple angles.

Double Duty

Train seasonal help for more than one position where applicable. Letting a holiday employee know that you trust them to learn more than one job can gives them a feeling of pride. It also gives you backup during busy times of the day, and can also help fill in for full-timers who request time off to be with family.

Respect and Gratitude

Not that your temporary employees should feel that for you, but that you should feel respect and gratitude toward them, and show it. Employees always work harder when they feel appreciated, and leaders know that treating their employees well – even temporary ones – helps grow loyalty and gratitude in return.

Certainly there are more best practices when you're hiring seasonal employees, but these tips will give you a head start towards building a staff that will do their best through the busy holiday season. Now – grab a pumpkin spice latte, put on a sweater, and make this holiday retail season your best yet!