Most supervisors and managers know that the end of the year is a period marked by dips in productivity. Whether due to holiday events or the taking of any remaining personal time, offices everywhere believe that November and December are two of the least active months in the workplace. This is true in the recruitment and retention departments as well. With different members of hiring and management teams on vacation, it is hard to get together to interview and choose a new employee. On top of that, job seekers are not as likely to up and leave a job and upset the, what is for many, a delicate balance of work, play, and, importantly, pay in the midst of the holiday season. So, is trying to hire new employees at the end of the year a good idea? Is a fully staffed office the gift your company gives itself this year?
“All I Want for Christmas, is…” a New Employee!
While January and February are usually the months with the most hires as everyone hits the new year running, there are some great reasons to go ahead and hire new employees before the end of December. The first, and most important question, is whether or not the job needs to be filled as soon as possible. If it does, hire for it!! If it is not integral to the company’s day-to-day functions, consider these points as well.
A lot of businesses will budget a certain amount for hiring throughout the entire year, and many of these budgets are set up to be “use it or lose it” amounts. This means that a fiscally responsible supervisor usually has some leftover funds to be spent in the last remaining months of the year. If it must be used, then it only makes sense to spend those funds to bring the office up to full speed.
Putting the financial incentives aside, another great reason to hire and onboard at the end of the year is that the holidays provide a lot of activities that can be used to integrate new employees. It also provides fresh faces with a wonderful insight to a company culture. Being able to meet and socialize with employees from across the company allows for new workers to feel more comfortable with their roles and team members. On the production side, with fewer appointments on the schedule, there is more time for onboarding. Taking the time to properly onboard a new employee is proven to increase retention rates. (You can read more about Onboarding in our blog post from October 12th.)
Finally, hiring at the end of the year allows companies to snap up good employees before the January and February hiring surge. While some candidates might hesitate to apply for a new job in November or December, others are constantly on the lookout for their perfect opportunity. Businesses willing to commit to advertising and hiring for a position at the end of the year could find their ideal employee ready to come aboard. Both sides have to be willing to take the risk, but the rewards could be innumerable. From hiring and onboarding an excellent employee, to integrating them with their new team, to training and setting them up to work on their own on a shorter timetable, there is so much potential in such a plan. What a way to start off a new year!
Conclusion
In the end, companies have to do what is best for themselves when it comes to hiring. Some end their fiscal year differently from year end, some companies have to hire seasonally, and there are always positions that open up for emergency reasons and need to be filled right away. Many companies, according to an article on LinkedIn, find that bringing new hires into the office in January means that training procedures are rushed, which leads to “low job satisfaction, poor performance and premature resignation.” While hiring and onboarding at year end won’t fix every problem, the ability to give more to new employees and help ease their transition into work for a new company can do wonders for retention rates.
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Meaghan Goldberg covers recruitment and digital marketing for Lionzone. A Patterson, GA native, after graduating from both Valdosta State University and Middle Tennessee State University, Meaghan joined Lionzone in 2018 as a digital recruitment strategist before becoming the social media manager.
Resources:
https://viaduct.com/7-tips-for-end-of-year-job-search-success/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-5-reasons-hire-year-end-lainie-bennett/
