How to communicate with part-time and seasonal staff

Why they miss things

• They’re not there when things are said. Huddles and passing comments reach whoever is on shift.
• They never got onboarded to the app. The scheduling app invite went to an email they don’t check.
• They’re new, every season. Whatever system you have, a third of the team is learning it this week.

Get the number and consent on day one

Make the mobile number and agreement to work texts part of the hiring paperwork, then send the opt-in text before their first shift. If the first message they get from you is a closure at 5am, it’s too late to find out their number was wrong.

Recap the huddle in one line

Anything important said at a pre-shift meeting gets a one-line text to everyone who wasn’t there: “From today’s huddle: new register procedure starts Monday — ask a lead to show you.” Thirty seconds, and the part-timers stop being the last to know.

Keep seasonal staff in their own group

Seasonal hires need things year-round staff don’t: training dates, uniform pickup, their end date. A separate group means they get those without the regulars getting spammed. In Airhorn, Groups are on the Plus plan.

Clean up at the end of the season

The day someone’s last shift ends, take them off the list. In a group text that means rebuilding the thread; in a broadcast tool it’s archiving one person. In Airhorn, archiving someone stops every future message and drops them from your bill immediately.

Ask returners before you text them next year

If you want to invite last summer’s crew back, ask at the end of the season whether they want to hear about next year — and respect a no. Anyone who replied STOP stays opted out.