Leadership and team performance in seasonal teams

Johanna Wiberg: Many entrepreneurs in the tourism industry have one or two seasons in which the majority of their turnover is earned. Due to the seasonal nature, it is difficult to motivate employees to stay in the companies because they either have to look for a second job for the off-season or register as unemployed. When trained employees leave the company, a lot of knowledge and experience is lost. It also costs money to find and train new employees. My study shows that although many employees leave companies to study or enter another industry, it is possible to motivate employees to return with motivators and a considered leadership style. This can save companies money and also ensure service quality. For example, an employee who has already spent two seasons at the company knows the company's values and can deliver the expected quality of service to both regular guests and new guests. If employees are also emotionally attached to the company, they ensure the quality of the new employees.

Johanna Wiberg: Seasonal teams function somewhat differently to teams in companies with year-round contracts. Most of the participants in the study cited motivators such as a fixed period, getting to know people, status, time off and "trying something new" as reasons why they worked in a seasonal company. Only locals cited money as a reason. This finding suggests that a leader in a seasonal team cannot necessarily follow the normal guidelines of team performance, but rather needs to focus on the different motivators of the employees. For example, if employees are there to meet new people, the community is very important. For employees for whom self-fulfillment is important, extra training or special tasks can be motivating. Employees for whom the fixed period is a main reason can also be motivated to return.

The study also shows that the origin of employees can make a difference. For immigrant employees, the sense of community is very important for their well-being and return. For native employees, on the other hand, money and the fixed period of time are more motivating because they can help out during vacations or vacations. Study participants who have worked for several seasons mentioned more responsibility and/or a higher status as an additional motivator to return.

According to previous studies, the risk of social loafing (loafing due to community building) is lower when team members know each other well internally. Tourism businesses such as alpine destinations, cruise ships and alpine huts have an advantage due to the slightly isolated location. Many participants have 6-day working weeks, so it is not always possible to leave the workplace in their free time. As a result, employees get to know each other better and social loafing is potentially avoided. Nevertheless, complete isolation is not desirable and is no substitute for social events.

Seasonal teams also differ in terms of the presence of the leader. In seasonal teams, the leader is more present in daily business (e.g. hotel manager, head waiter and ski school owner) and can therefore act as support for the employees. This also gives him/her the opportunity to quickly notice ineffective working methods of the employees and to ensure service quality as well as to solve possible customer complaints immediately. In this context, the majority of participants praised their managers for a feeling of "having their backs". This and other studies show that trust is very important and that employees in seasonal teams are almost given a kind of leap of faith. As long as this is not broken, the leader stands behind their employees in all situations. This leap of faith can also act as a performance driver if employees do not want to disappoint the leader.

Johanna Wiberg: Based on my findings, I can summarize the following recommendations:

• Clear expectations: Studies have shown that employees who imagined the tasks or the work to be different when they started work only stay for one season. By setting clear expectations, both employer and employee can ensure that both sides are satisfied. This gives the employee a good chance of meeting the employer's expectations.
• Socialization: Socialization can help to create a sense of community more quickly. Many of the employees come from outside the company and can use some help getting to know their colleagues, the destination and the company.
• Use experienced employees correctly: If employees decide to stay with the company, it is important that they are properly utilized and that they are motivated to share their experience with the newcomers. For example, experienced employees can take over part of the training, plan socialization events or be responsible for special guests. Anything can act as a motivator.
• Adapt leadership style: Each employee is motivated differently and has different reasons for being there. The constant presence of the leader in daily business and the intensive contact with the employees makes it possible to better adapt the leadership style.
• Feedback & communication: According to the participants, there is very little feedback. The term "no news is good news" was often mentioned and much of the communication is only one-way (from the leader downwards). More feedback could act as motivation and help to ensure service quality. Distribution of work tasks can remain one-way, but also some kind of dialog can motivate employees. When employees feel heard, the emotional connection to the company grows.