ORLANDO, Fla.—According to a  survey from Randstad US, the one thing employees loved most about the holidays was having some time off from work. In the survey, 70 percent said they love the time off they get at the holidays. The holidays bring back this sense of innocence and we all remember our good old days as children. It is in a way the same feeling you get when you go back to Disney as an adult, perhaps with your kids. 

However, low unemployment, high consumer confidence and other sunny economic metrics are expected to lift holiday sales this year. They could also boost hiring and wages as retailers try to fill seasonal slots in their stores and operations. NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said at an Oct. 3 press conference that the association estimated that retailers would hire 650,000 seasonal workers for the holidays in 2018, up more than 10% from last year's hiring.

Small businesses are also part of this, but the challenges for small business owners could be a little different. There are common risks that small business owners need to deal with during this sweet enjoyable season, for example:

High Traffic Volume

You must check on your liability insurance or review your coverage with your agent to make sure you’re ready for larger crowds as the more people come to your shop, the greater risk of a slip and fall outside, preparing for a higher traffic volume will help you minimize your risk. Keep walkways and pathways clear to eliminate perils. You should also consider hiring extra staff to keep an eye on your store and to help customers and avoid customer frustration.

The Inevitable Shoplifting

You can take steps to help reduce your risk of shoplifters. Consider hiring perhaps additional security staff trained to identify and manage suspicious activities in your place of business. Your additional seasonal can also help in keep an eye on things around your business.

Temporary Help

Another great reason to bring those seasonal extra hires is that you will now have more personnel committed to help make the holiday business madness run more smoothly. Your have to ensure that your new staff/employees have the necessary tools and training to get their mission accomplished.

Training them on health and safety in your business is especially important, particularly if you run a retail shop, to avoid accidents whether with customers or employees.  If your employees need to perform tasks that could cause an injury on the job, YOU MUST develop protocols to lessen the risk.

Some steps to help integrate new hires for the season safely inlcude:

• Vet them as you would do with your full-time employees. 
• Train them well. 
• Make sure you understand local hiring laws about seasonal employees. 
• Update your insurance policies. 

If you are expecting an increased amount of transactions and traffic this holiday season, you must talk to your insurance agent about how to make sure you business insurance is the proper coverage you need for the holidays, and review any changes you’ve made at your company recently.

For personal insurance solutions check out our sister company Orlando Insurance Center