Christmas might still feel a little way off, but for hospitality businesses, it’s never too early to start planning your staffing. With increased bookings, Christmas parties, events, staff holidays and seasonal demand, having the right people in place can make the difference between a busy festive season running smoothly and one that puts unnecessary pressure on your team. Planning your Christmas temp staff early gives you greater flexibility, more choice and the reassurance that support is available when you need it.
Why Start Planning Your Christmas Staffing Early?
The festive season can be one of the busiest times of year for hospitality and events. As demand increases, your usual team may not be enough to cover every shift.
You may need additional staff for:
- Increased bookings and seasonal demands
- Christmas parties and private events
- Corporate functions and large-scale events
- Staff holidays and planned annual leave
- Sickness or unexpected absences
- Extra shifts during particularly busy periods
Leaving staffing until the last minute can make finding the right people more difficult. By planning ahead, you have more time to consider your requirements and put reliable support in place.
What Christmas Temp Staff Could You Need?
Every business has different requirements, which is why flexible staffing can be so useful over the festive period.
Depending on your needs, you may require:
- Chefs and relief chefs to support busy kitchens or cover staff holidays.
- Waiters and front of house staff to help keep service running smoothly during busy bookings and events.
- Bar staff for Christmas parties, functions and festive events.
- Kitchen porters and assistants to provide extra support behind the scenes.
- Stewards and kiosk staff for busy sporting and entertainment venues.
- Cleaners and housekeeping staff to help maintain standards during particularly busy periods.
- Supervisors to provide additional support when larger teams are required.
Whether you need one extra person or a larger team, temporary staffing can give you the flexibility to increase your workforce when demand calls for it.
You Don’t Need to Know Everything Yet
One of the biggest benefits of starting the conversation early is that you don’t necessarily need to have every shift planned.
Perhaps you know that December will be busy, but you’re still waiting for bookings to come in. Or maybe you’re not sure exactly how many additional staff you’ll need.
That’s okay.
By speaking to a staffing agency early, you can discuss your likely requirements, understand what support is available and plan ahead. As your plans become clearer, your staffing requirements can be adjusted accordingly.
Why Use Christmas Temp Staff?
Temporary staff can give your business additional support without the commitment of recruiting permanent employees for a seasonal increase in demand.
For hospitality businesses, this can mean:
- More Flexibility
Increase your staffing levels when you need extra support, without committing to permanent hires. - Less Pressure on Your Team
Additional staff can help spread the workload during the busiest periods of the year. - Cover When You Need It
Whether it’s planned annual leave, sickness or an unexpected increase in bookings, temporary staff can provide valuable additional cover. - Less Recruitment Admin
An agency can handle the recruitment, vetting, payroll and administration, allowing you to focus on running your business.
Quality at Christmas
The festive season can be busy, but that doesn’t mean you should compromise on the quality of your staff.
At Chefs and Events, every candidate is personally vetted face-to-face. We take the time to understand their experience, attitude and suitability before they join our staffing pool.
Our staff also complete compulsory training in areas including Food Safety, Health & Safety, Food Allergens and COSHH, helping businesses have confidence in the people they bring into their teams.
It’s all part of our approach to providing quality hospitality staff.
Looking for Christmas Temp Staff?
Christmas is busy enough without scrambling to find staff at the last minute.
By planning your Christmas temp staff early, you can give yourself more choice, more flexibility and greater peace of mind that you have the support you need when the festive season arrives.
Whether you’re looking for chefs, front of house staff, event staff or additional kitchen support, Chefs and Events can help you plan for the season ahead.
Get in touch to discuss how we can support your staffing needs.