“Tis the season to be jolly.” As you hum the line to this familiar Christmas carol, you may think being cheerful is a big ask when managing the office workload over the busy holiday period.

Everyone wants time off. There are also tighter deadlines, greater demands and a few business trends you can’t predict. It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. So, what’s the best way to manage these stress points?

Read on to learn more about the Brisbane staffing solutions you need to incorporate into your management strategy.

Understanding Brisbane Staffing Solutions

Before we get to the answers, we need to get to grips with the challenges that face Brisbane in particular. Here’s the latest data on Brisbane’s economic profile:

  • The region’s 2020-21 Gross Regional Product (GRP) estimated at $181 billion
  • 136,000+ businesses registered within Brisbane 2021-22
  • As of mid-2023, Brisbane had a labour force of more than 761,000 people
  • 68 per cent live and work within Brisbane LGA
  • 69 per cent of the population are of working age (15-64)
  • Average households made up of 2.5 people

The latest data shows the top three industries in Brisbane as being:

  • Health care and social assistance
  • Professional, scientific and technical services
  • Education and training

Brisbane has a very low unemployment rate so staff recruitment can be challenging. The predictions are that there will be even more jobs over the next few years, making it even harder to attract talent. Almost a third of the workforce commutes from outside the city.

Plan Well Ahead

Those responsible for office admin or HR issues need to have all the figures related to staffing constantly at their fingertips. This is to enable careful planning.

Staff demands and entitlement to time off are in a constant state of flux, so software programs that can track what’s going on at any given moment are essential.

Programs also need to have the capacity to look ahead and predict potential seasonal staffing solutions over the holiday period. This includes the hiring of Christmas casual workers. Here are some of the questions you should always be able to answer.

  • How much annual leave has each staff member used up?
  • How much leave does each staff member have left?
  • What is the breakdown of leave left, e.g. maternity/paternity leave?
  • How much sick leave has each staff member taken?
  • How much in annual leave entitlements remains?
  • What are the minimum staffing requirements over the holiday season?
  • What, if any, specific regulations and conditions are relevant

When there is no plan for finding Brisbane staffing solutions, there can be far-reaching negative impacts. It leads to poor customer experience and a drop in sales. It can also put a dent in staff morale, who feel put upon, overworked and undervalued.

Bespoke Staffing Solutions and Strategies for Brisbane Businesses

We can learn a lot from history. Examining data from previous years can help to forecast what is likely to happen over busy holiday periods. Drilling down into the figures can throw a spotlight on pinch-point issues that businesses can then avoid repeating.

One of the key difficulties is juggling holiday entitlements at popular times of the year with increased workloads. Hiring casual workers is a tried and tested staffing solution that works well in specific industries.

It’s particularly successful for covering admin white-collar staff. It enables managers to plug gaps, spread the workload more evenly to avoid staff burnout and keep the wheels of the business well-oiled.

Businesses should also try to incorporate flexibility into work schedules during peak periods. This enables them to accommodate increased demand for time off whilst maximising staff productivity at the same time.

Using Technology to Achieve Effective Staffing Solutions

We’ve already looked at some of the basic requirements any computer software should be able to meet. Technology moves fast, and it’s essential to ensure your business is ahead of the game by using all the available functionality.

More businesses have become concerned with promoting work/life balance initiatives such as flexible schedules or offering schedules in advance. Here are some of the benefits of using the latest technology:

Employee Empowerment

Workers should be able to let a manager know their desired hours. Software can help achieve a collaborative environment so managers can see their employees’ preferences. Efficient employee scheduling means higher productivity, lower turnover and improved staff loyalty.

Better Onboarding Processes

Onboarding staff or casual workers is far easier with scheduling software. It offers a single platform for everyone to see and read the latest announcements and HR policies.

Valuable Metrics

Most employee scheduling software solutions offer reporting features. These let managers pull up real-time data for insights about staff budgets, actual timesheet costs, sales transactions and other employee variables.

Time Savings

Manually creating a work schedule takes hours to complete. With employee scheduling software, it should take from a few seconds to 15-20 minutes. Auto-scheduling features can forecast staff pinch-points like busy periods from historical data for the most accurate schedules.

Smartphone Options

It should be possible to access schedules at any time and from anywhere. Mobile scheduling can help cut absences and lateness because staff can always check when they’re due at work. Some software can send notifications to smartphones as reminders.

Employee Wellbeing Matters

The hectic holiday season is one of those moments when managers need to put on their empathetic hats. When the workload is higher, it’s the time to show appreciation so staff feel valued. This starts with fostering a positive work environment. Here are a few tips:

  • Always say “thank you” to every staff member at the end of each day
  • Ensure staff know they can approach you if they run into any difficulty
  • Make a point of stating to staff that you understand how stressful work can be
  • Have a plan to ensure staff always take adequate breaks
  • Consult the team for solutions to any persistent problems
  • Appear at least to involve staff in any decision-making that may affect them

Let Tough Yakka Be Part of Your Seasonal Staffing Solutions

Tough Yakka has years of experience providing experienced and motivated casual workers to help businesses at critical moments. We offer casual workers for warehouse labour and warehouse logistics.

We can also provide workers for general administration and shop assistance positions. Contact one of the team today for all your Brisbane staffing solutions.