Managing surge recruiting during the holiday season without disrupting core operations

The holiday season is one of the busiest stretches for businesses. They require scalable workforce solutions to handle this increased volume in sales, brands forecast demand, maintain inventory, manage logistics, and more. Doing all of this requires human resources. After a two-year decline, job ads have stabilised in New Zealand, while Australia is experiencing a recruitment surge due to early seasonal interest. While onboarding more human resources has immediate benefits, the strain on operations is an inadvertent casualty.

The strain of rapid workforce expansion

During the holiday season, organisations operate at high volumes in a fast-paced environment. Against this backdrop, expecting the new employees to hit the ground running leaves them overwhelmed, directly contributing to lower productivity. Equally important is keeping permanent employees engaged amid the chaos. Seasonal peaks often demand overtime and intense effort, so leaders should foster a supportive environment, recognising everyone’s contributions. The other option is to seek a business process outsourcing (BPO) partner that can handle the short-term burden with practised ease. Leaders can concentrate on strategy and driving sales instead of focusing solely on meaningful incentives to maintain morale and motivation during crunch time.

Proactive workforce planning

If a company plans on hiring more human resources right before the holiday season without proper planning, the execution would likely falter. The foundation for smooth peak-season scaling is laid well before the holidays. Many enterprises begin planning for scalable workforce solutions in advance, but the savvy ones partner with BPOs to manage the peak season effortlessly and efficiently.

BPOs leverage historical data, e.g., past years’ sales, foot traffic, and staffing patterns, to predict when and where extra effort is required. Analysing these trends can help zero in on the stress points where additional hires will prevent service bottlenecks. For instance, Boxing Day sales will require more staff and better scheduling to ensure customer satisfaction does not falter.

Also read: Benefits of outsourcing: Mobilising business leaders to unlock strategic agility

Agile workforce models for flexibility

During the holiday season, an inflexible workforce model will crumble under the pressure. Building an agile model means employees can wear multiple hats at once, which in itself is a nightmare for employers. One strategy is cross-skilling permanent employees. For example, a logistics firm might train its office staff in basic warehouse picking, enabling them to assist when online orders skyrocket.

The challenge, however, is the time and effort required, which can be easily resolved with help from BPOs. Their staffing and processes are readied in advance to manage the extra load, while managers at enterprises do not need to stretch teams too thin in the name of agility. It leaves organisations with the time and effort to focus on core tasks.

Also read: Is using AI in customer service a smart choice

Outsourcing partnerships with TP ANZ to sustain peak performance

Handing off certain functions (customer service, fulfilment, claims processing, etc.) to a specialised partner ensures those operations can scale without diverting your core team. Notably, as a global provider, TP ANZ offers ready-made capacity and expertise for seasonal surges.

TP advantage

• Call centre in Bali staffed by native Australians TP has set up call centres and BPOs in Bali to manage the 24-hour customer needs and complaints. Native Australians are hired to provide the local nuance to ANZ customers, enabling a better cultural fit and dynamic.
• A presence across industries With its intelligent automation solutions, TP ANZ has built a presence across many industries, including retail, travel, e-commerce, BFSI, and telecom. Our outcome-oriented solutions help expand the processes without disrupting core operational efficiencies. 
• Integrated delivery network An intelligent global delivery ecosystem fuels operational excellence via scale and agility for the holiday season. Instead of scrambling to hire and train hundreds of temporary employees, lean on TP as an outsourcing partner with a trained talent pool and infrastructure in place.
• Manage workload effectively Businesses should consider outsourcing during peak periods to avoid the significant costs and time burden of in-house recruitment and training. When seasonal peaks push your workforce to three or four times its normal size, an external partner can be the pressure valve.

Conclusion

Seasonal sales surges will always test a brand’s agility, but foresight and the right strategies can turn these challenges into well-managed victories. The keys are to plan early, leverage data, stay flexible, and enlist the help of BPOs when needed. With these practices, surge recruiting becomes a source of strength, driving growth while the organisation’s core operations and people remain resilient and engaged.