Seasonal Hiring: How to Turn a Summer Fling Into a Long Term Relationship

By Kevin Fitzgerald, UK Managing Director of Employment Hero

As businesses across the UK gear up for the summer season, many are bringing on temporary staff to handle increased workloads. It’s not just cafes and bars who do this either – almost every type of business could use a summer intern at the very least. But far too many managers see these summer hires as temporary help, not someone to invest time and money into. This is a huge mistake.

The conventional wisdom treats seasonal workers as disposable resources – hired quickly, trained minimally, with the whole process starting again the year following. This approach overlooks a significant opportunity to build a reliable talent pipeline that can dramatically reduce recruitment costs and boost productivity year after year.

The Hidden Costs of the Revolving Door

Every summer, businesses invest considerable time and resources in hiring and training temporary staff. The traditional recruit-train-release cycle carries hidden costs that many employers fail to calculate:

• Recruitment expenses for advertising positions and conducting interviews
• Training time spent bringing new hires up to speed
• Productivity losses during the learning curve
• Mistakes made by inexperienced staff
• Management time diverted to supervision

When every summer hire is a one-off, these costs become an annual tax on your business. Conversely, when summer staff return the following year, they arrive with institutional knowledge, requiring minimal retraining and delivering value from day one. And many can end up as valued full-time employees.

The Return on Retention

Consider the difference between a returning summer hire and a fresh recruit. The returner already understands your systems, knows your customers and requires minimal onboarding. This means they’re operating at near-full productivity almost immediately.

This efficiency advantage is substantial. A returning summer employee can be up to twice as productive in those crucial early weeks compared to a new hire navigating the same learning curve you funded last year. They can also train any fresh summer hires you do have that year, freeing up your permanent staff.

Building Your Summer Alumni Network

So how should you transform the traditional seasonal employment model? Here are five crucial principles.

1. Treat Development as an Investment, Not an Expense

Offer genuine development opportunities that build transferable skills. This doesn’t mean expensive formal training—it could be structured mentoring, rotation through different roles, or involvement in projects that build their CV.

For example, a summer hire in a retail position could gain experience not just in customer service, but also in inventory management, visual merchandising, or even basic accounting. These skills make them more valuable both to you and in their future careers.

You can also literally invest in these staff by offering a pay bump for the second year – it doesn’t have to be very large to be a very big deal for a 20-year-old.

2. Keep the Connection Alive

The months between seasonal roles are a relationship opportunity, not a relationship gap. Maintain contact through:

• Occasional check-ins (not just when you need them again)
• Inclusion in company social events
• Updates about business developments
• Early notification about next season’s opportunities

This ongoing engagement signals that you view them as part of your extended team, not merely as temporary labour. This is especially crucial if you want to turn them into a full-time employee one day.

3. Create Clear Progression Pathways

Show ambitious seasonal staff how temporary work can lead to permanent opportunities. Map out potential career journeys that begin with seasonal roles but can evolve into something more substantial.

I’ve seen numerous cases where summer staff eventually became some of the most effective full-time employees. Their progression through the organisation is accelerated by their seasonal experience, and they often bring fresh perspectives that career employees might miss.

4. Offer Flexibility That Works With Their Lives

Remember why many people take seasonal work in the first place – it fits around other commitments like studies or family responsibilities. Demonstrate that you understand and respect these priorities.

Our data at Employment Hero shows that flexibility remains the top priority for workers across all age groups. For students particularly, accommodating exam periods or term dates can be the difference between keeping a great worker and losing them to a more understanding employer.

5. Exit With Excellence

When the season ends, conduct proper exit interviews and leave the door explicitly open for return. Provide reference letters that detail specific contributions and skills developed, not just dates of employment.

This professional treatment at the end of a placement makes a lasting impression that can bring them back to your door next year.

The Long Game: From Summer Hire to Future Leader

Perhaps the most compelling reason to invest in seasonal staff is the potential to discover and develop future leaders while they’re still early in their careers.

At Employment Hero, we’ve observed numerous instances where organisations have identified exceptional talent through summer placements. These individuals often progress to become highly effective full-time staff members who understand the business from the ground up.

Consider this approach as talent farming rather than talent hunting. By creating an environment where seasonal staff can thrive and develop, you’re not just filling temporary positions – you’re cultivating your future workforce.

The most forward-thinking organisations view seasonal staff not as stopgap solutions but as potential long-term assets at the start of their journey. This perspective transforms how these roles are structured, managed, and valued.

In the current labour market, where good talent remains difficult to find and expensive to recruit, building a reliable pipeline of returning seasonal workers represents a significant competitive advantage.

The businesses that recognise this opportunity will enjoy lower recruitment costs, higher productivity, and access to an increasingly skilled pool of workers who arrive already aligned with company culture and expectations.

When it comes to seasonal staff, the initial instinct to minimise investment is understandable but shortsighted. The most valuable approach is to treat these relationships not as summer flings, but as the potential beginning of a productive long-term commitment.