Preparing Your Business For The Busy Holiday Season

The holiday season is a busy time for your business. From managing an influx of customers to hiring temporary staff and ensuring the safety and security of your workplace, there’s a lot to consider and prepare for. In this quick guide, we look at a few key ways you can get your business ready for the holidays by focusing on critical areas like staffing, safety, theft prevention, and insurance.

Holiday Staffing And HR

The holiday rush is usually represented by a temporary spike in customer traffic. To meet this sudden change in demand, you’ll need extra staff. However, expanding your team comes with its own set of HR challenges like managing seasonal workers and training new employees. You’ll also need to make safety training and tools a priority, allow for frequent breaks and monitoring to manage stress levels, and have clear policies and procedures in place around any potential accidents or workplace issues.

Hiring seasonal workers can be a great way to handle the increased workload during the holidays, but remember that even temporary and seasonal hires need to be educated. Consider having your more-experienced personnel train your seasonal staff, and remember that new hires should be educated not only on their specific duties but also on your company’s safety policies, customer service expectations, and procedures. Consider assigning mentors or pairing new employees with seasoned workers to smooth the transition, and start the recruitment process early to ensure you have enough time to vet candidates properly.

To equip your employees with the right tools and knowledge to handle tasks safely, include training on the use of ladders, proper lifting techniques, and how to deal with emergency situations. We also recommend you have mentors take new employees around the workspace and introduce them to the locations of your first-aid kits and fire extinguishers. Also be sure everyone is up to date on safety procedures, including how to handle spills, how to maintain clear walkways, and what to do in case of emergencies. Regularly train employees on these procedures to help keep everyone on the same page.

Remember, the holiday season can be stressful, and fatigue can lead to accidents. This is why it’s essential to include a fair number of breaks in your schedule and to ensure that everyone is taking the breaks they are entitled to. Of course, balance is key.

Preventing Employee Theft

The holidays often bring with them more opportunities, as well as incentives, for employees to steal. Taking steps to prevent theft now can protect your business from realizing financial losses at the turn of the season. We recommend installing security cameras and actively monitoring your workplace if you have not already. We also encourage you to vet new employees carefully and supervise them appropriately.

An influx of seasonal workers means you might not know all your employees as well as you’d like. Vet potential hires carefully by conducting thorough background checks and reviewing references to minimize the risk of theft. You should also ensure that supervisors are actively monitoring staff and are aware of the potential for theft.

You can install security cameras throughout your store, particularly in areas where theft is more likely to occur. Monitored alarms and security mirrors can also help deter theft by providing clear visibility throughout the store.

Maintaining Good Housekeeping

With increased foot traffic during the holiday season, maintaining good housekeeping practices can help keep your team in line, especially in retail settings, to ensure customer safety and reduce liability. From an insurance perspective, we are particularly concerned with safety in crowded spaces, routine checks and logging inspections, outdoor maintenance, and safe decorating.

Increased customer traffic means a higher chance of accidents, so be sure to clean and dry your floors regularly, keeping them in good condition to avoid slips and falls. Schedule a routine for checking the sales floor and log each inspection to track your efforts toward maintaining a safe environment. This documentation is also useful in case any liability arises from an incident. In addition to keeping floors clean, you should keep aisles and exits clear of products to ensure easy movement and accessibility in case of an emergency.

Don’t forget about the exterior of your business. Sidewalks and storm drains should be free of leaves and debris. In cold weather, make sure your sidewalks are salted and snow is shoveled in a timely manner. Keep a log of these actions or hire an insured subcontractor to do this for you. You should also avoid using combustible decorations and keep all decor, indoor and outdoor, away from heat sources. Use extension cords properly and never block emergency exits or doorways.

Keeping Inventory Safe

Stocking up for the holiday season is necessary, but managing your inventory safely is just as important. Avoid overstocking, as too much inventory can lead to hazards in the workplace. Instead, ensure that your stock is organized and accessible and carefully monitor inventory levels.

While it’s tempting to overstock for the busy season, overstocking can increase the risk of accidents and theft. Ensure that your stock levels are manageable and stored safely. Heavy items should be stored on or near the ground to avoid injury from lifting or falling items. Employees using ladders to reach higher shelves should be trained on ladder safety.

Throwing Safe Seasonal Parties

Seasonal staff parties are a great way to celebrate the holidays with your team, but they can also pose risks if not handled carefully. Make sure you have alcohol policies and security measures in place to keep them fun.

If alcohol is served at your holiday party, make sure you have clear rules in place. Encourage responsible drinking and consider providing free Uber or cab rides for employees to ensure they get home safely. Likewise, ensure that any stock or valuable items are secure during staff parties, and consider additional security measures like monitored alarms or security cameras to keep an eye on the premises.

Reviewing Your Insurance Coverage

At Waypoint, we know that the holiday season is the perfect time to review your insurance coverage to ensure that your business is protected during this busy time of year. We call this a mid-term insurance review. A mid-term review of your insurance policies is a smart move before the holiday season because it gives you an opportunity to make sure your coverage aligns with the increased risk factors that come with this time of year.

At your mid-term review, we’ll look at your contents and stock limits for inventory; your liability coverage against any accidents on the premises; property coverage for water damage, fire, and earthquakes; crime limits; cyber liability, which increases substantially around this time of year; and business interruptions coverage.

Get Prepared With Waypoint!

Preparing your business for the holiday season involves more than just increasing your inventory and hiring extra staff. By focusing on staffing and training, theft prevention, good housekeeping, and a thorough review of your insurance needs, you can ensure a safe, successful, and profitable holiday season. With the right preparations in place, you can make the most of this busy time while minimizing risks and maximizing your business’s potential.

If you have yet to review your insurance for the upcoming holiday season, your friends at Waypoint would love to hear from you. Book an appointment with us to go over your coverage, and at the same time, we’ll help you assess your preparation for the holidays in the other areas we discussed, such as staffing and theft prevention. It’s a win-win, so don’t delay. Call your local branch and book a meeting with us today.