It is no secret that finding enough qualified seasonal employees is a challenge. Once you find good people, the next challenge is to keep them engaged. While we cannot eliminate every challenge and unpredictable element, we can build a more committed and engaged seasonal workforce.
To keep your team engaged, you must first understand what drives employee engagement. For this article, we’ll focus on two key factors that decades of Gallup research show most strongly engage employees and drive business results.
This goes beyond simply telling employees what to do. Setting expectations starts with painting a clear picture of success, both for the sites being serviced and for how each employee’s work makes a difference.
For example, if your team services a retail complex with several busy storefronts, your sidewalk crews need to understand when foot traffic is heaviest and that their work directly keeps people safe, especially those most vulnerable to slip and falls.
Expectations should be communicated to seasonal employees multiple times, beginning as early as the interview process. Training should reinforce what is expected, and those expectations should continue to be revisited through regular communication throughout the season.
Here are some key expectations to make clear to your seasonal team:
Weekly availability updates: Require staff to provide weekly updates on their availability. Designate someone on your team to collect and document this information in writing. This ensures that when winter weather is in the forecast, you’ll know exactly who is available to work.
Site priorities: Your team must understand the top-priority service areas based on the time of day. In addition to training, materials such as site maps, app notes, checklists, and written work instructions help reinforce these expectations.
Reliable equipment, adequate supplies, and proper PPE are essential, but so is information. Beyond tools and materials, your seasonal staff needs access to the right information to do their jobs effectively. Some examples include:
How often they should check in to confirm updated availability.
The process for communicating about incoming weather and dispatching them to work.
How to track and report completed services.
Priority areas based on time of day.
Where snow piles should be placed.
Ongoing weather updates during the storm.
Any client-specific priorities or requests.
The most obvious way to keep people engaged is to offer additional work, such as cleaning machines or restocking supplies post-storm. You can also ask clients about offering value-added services like snow stacking or hauling.
Beyond just providing more hours, there are other ways to engage your team.
Recognize good work: Recognition is one of the most powerful drivers of employee engagement. Ask employees whether they prefer public or private recognition, then make it a habit to acknowledge what they’re doing well, both during events and in post-event debriefs.
Foster relationships: Positive relationships at work increase retention. Consider hosting a pre- and postseason cookout or team gathering. Use these opportunities to connect with your team outside of work. This builds trust that pays off in future events.
Provide opportunities to learn and grow: Engagement increases when employees can build skills. Offer operators opportunities to get additional “stick time” with your trainers, including hands-on snow training. These experiences help new operators, especially recent graduates of heavy equipment training programs, build confidence. When sending out company communications, consider adding a short training tip to them.
Engaging your seasonal staff is possible; it just takes intentional effort. Small, consistent actions compound over time, building a team that feels valued, informed, and ready for whatever the season brings.
Evan Tachoir is the founder of Jack of All People Trades, HR/People Consulting to help snow companies recruit, develop, and retain the best employees. He also leads NET Gain, a monthly networking and learning series for snow professionals. Email him at evan@jackofallpeopletrades.com.