Hiring for the Christmas peak: start now, not in December
5 minute read · 2026-11-01
Every employer who needs extra hands at Christmas is fishing in the same pond at the same time. The ones who fill their rotas start early, say exactly what they pay, and make the first day easy. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Timing: the pond empties by mid November
The largest warehouse and parcel operators begin seasonal recruitment in September and October. By the middle of November most people who want Christmas work have already said yes to somebody. If your peak starts in late November, your advert should be live in the first week of the month.
The advert that fills
- Show the pay. An hourly rate, any peak or night uplift, and the weeks it applies. Seasonal workers compare offers on the bus; the one without a figure loses.
- Give the dates. First shift, last expected shift, and whether there is a chance of staying on.
- Say what the shifts are. Days, nights, weekends, how many hours, and how far ahead the rota is published.
- Say how to get there if the site is out of town: shuttle bus, car park, nearest stop.
On HIRING UK every advert shows the pay, and an advert runs for 30 days, which covers most of a peak. See our prices.
Before the first shift
- Right to work checks for every worker you employ directly, done before they start. The civil penalty for employing somebody without the right to work can reach £60,000 per worker. If you use an agency, ask in writing who is doing the check.
- An induction that covers the site rules, fire exits, manual handling and who to call. Thirty minutes on day one saves a week of mistakes.
- Payroll ready to pay weekly if that is what you advertised, and holiday pay that builds up from the first shift, normally 12.07 per cent of hours worked for irregular hours.
Keep the best ones
Peak season is the longest job interview you will ever run. Ask supervisors to note the people they would keep, and talk to them in the second week of December, before they start looking elsewhere for January. A permanent role offered to somebody who already knows your site is the cheapest hire you will make all year.
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