The end of the year is fast approaching, with Black Friday and Christmas here in the blink of an eye. Retail and logistics leaders know how busy and chaotic this time of year can be. This is why it pays to plan proactively when managing your workforce.
Coople, the flexible work platform that helps companies plan, manage, and scale their workforce, has shared insights into how flexible temporary staff can make all the difference during the peak season.
Jess Lee, Head of Operations at Coople, comments:
“For leaders in retail and logistics especially, demand in Q4 can leave some teams left understaffed and burned out. Businesses that secure extra team members well in advance will be able to onboard them quickly and meet rising customer demand.
“There are several smart ways to prepare – from forecasting demand early to using a workforce platform like Coople that gives you visibility and access to the right mix of workers when you need them most.”
Tips for companies to prepare for peak season
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Prepare a pool of flexible workers. One of the most effective ways to plan ahead is by refreshing both your own pool of temporary staff and ensuring you have access to additional, pre-vetted flexible workers. That way, when the peak season arrives, you can quickly fill gaps with people you already know and trust – and scale further with external talent when needed.
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Move to a centralised workforce management platform. Instead of relying on traditional workforce management methods like manual scheduling, consider moving to an automated system. This can help you bridge gaps quickly and manage both your permanent team and flexible workers all in one place, which is especially helpful for companies that operate across multiple locations.
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Plan ahead by forecasting. Using data from past peak seasons, you may be able to predict the spikes in demand before they happen. Meaning you can fill extra shifts ahead of time so your team isn’t left understaffed, and revenue isn’t lost.
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Strengthen worker engagement. Peak season is demanding – but workers who feel valued are more motivated to deliver. Small steps like recognising top performers, offering fair shift allocation, or creating opportunities for repeat assignments can go a long way in keeping both permanent and flexible staff engaged.
By planning ahead for the peak season, you can keep operations running smoothly, with the flexibility to scale your workforce as demand changes.