The Seasonal Shift: Using HRIS for summer staffing in hospitality

As the hospitality sector gears up for the bustling summer season, HR Directors and Senior HR leaders face the complex challenge of managing seasonal staffing needs. While the spotlight often falls on Christmas for its high demand for temporary staff, the summer months present an equally critical period for strategic staffing. This is where Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) step in, offering robust solutions to navigate the intricacies of seasonal employment with precision.

Key factors to consider

Understanding and addressing staffing needs requires a balance of variables, each influencing any business’s staffing strategy. For HR managers within the hospitality industry, the factors that must be considered when deciding how to adequately resource manage include:

Historical data. Evaluating past staffing patterns during similar periods is crucial for predicting future needs. However, manually sifting through historical data can be time-consuming and prone to errors.
Demand forecasting. Anticipating customer demand, which can fluctuate due to local events, weather and economic conditions, requires continual adaptability.
Employee availability and skills matching. Understanding the availability of current staff and aligning it with the specific skill sets required for different roles is a complex task, especially when considering internal holiday leave, part-time workers and other commitments.
Regulatory compliance. Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements such as overtime rules and minimum wage requirements adds another level of complexity to the staffing process
Turnover and recruitment. With the sector experiencing high levels of turnover, predicting and planning for recruitment at the right time is essential to avoid understaffing.
Budgets. Balancing staffing needs with budget limitations means that HR teams and managers need to undergo strategic planning to ensure that staff costs are within the resources available.

The importance of forecasting for seasonal staffing

Forecasting is the foundation of effective seasonal staffing, enabling HR teams to anticipate staffing needs and make informed decisions well in advance. During the summer, when the hospitality industry experiences a sharp increase in customer demand, the ability to forecast becomes indispensable. HRIS platforms excel in this area, providing advanced forecasting capabilities that analyse historical data and predict future staffing requirements. This foresight allows businesses to identify when an increase in hours or new hires is necessary, ensuring they are fully prepared to meet the surge in demand.

Without the aid of HRIS, businesses can get caught off guard, leading to understaffing, decreased customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, a negative impact on revenue. The consequences of inadequate staffing can be detrimental, from overburdening existing staff to compromising service quality. HRIS platforms mitigate these risks by offering a data-driven approach to staffing, ensuring that hospitality businesses remain competitive and efficient during their busiest months.

Beyond forecasting

Beyond forecasting, HRIS platforms offer a suite of functionalities designed to streamline the entire HR process. From recruiting and onboarding new hires to managing schedules and tracking employee performance, HRIS systems provide a centralized solution that enhances operational efficiency. This is particularly beneficial in the hospitality sector, where turnover rates can be high, and the need for a flexible, responsive workforce is paramount.

The advanced analytics capabilities of HRIS platforms also empower HR teams to make strategic decisions based on real-time data. This insight can lead to improved workforce management, better allocation of resources, and enhanced employee engagement, all of which contribute to the business’s overall success.

Using HRIS to benefit your team with seasonal staffing.

HRIS platforms offer powerful solutions to these challenges, streamlining the staffing process through automation and advanced analytics:

Automated data analysis: HRIS can automatically analyse historical staffing data and customer demand patterns, providing accurate forecasts that reduce the need for manual data entry and analysis.
Integrated scheduling tools: These systems offer sophisticated scheduling tools that account for employee availability, preferences, and skills, ensuring that the right staff are in the right place at the right time.
Compliance monitoring: HRIS platforms are designed to automatically monitor compliance with relevant employment regulations and laws, alerting managers to potential issues before they become problematic.
Turnover and recruitment management: With built-in recruitment and onboarding modules, HRIS can help manage the entire recruitment process, from posting job ads to tracking applicants and onboarding new hires.
Financial planning features: Budgeting tools within HRIS allow for precise labour cost forecasting, ensuring staffing strategies align with financial constraints.

Embrace the future with Team Wheel

At Team Wheel, we understand the unique challenges HR leaders face in the hospitality sector, especially during the summer and winter. Our expertise in HRIS consultancy enables us to guide you through getting the most out of your HRIS platform for optimal forecasting and resource management. Whether you want to enhance your current system’s capabilities or migrate from legacy systems to a more efficient HRIS, Team Wheel is here to assist.

If you have concerns about using your HRIS for forecasting resource management or considering upgrading your current system, get in touch. Our team is dedicated to helping you navigate the complexities of HR technology, ensuring that your business is poised for success in the competitive hospitality industry.

Contact Team Wheel today to discuss how we can support your seasonal staffing needs and drive your HR operations forward.