How do you find a helper for the Christmas season? Clear instructions can help you find the best Santa’s helpers

As a sole entrepreneur, you are used to changing your role from the buyer to the seller and from the manager to the courier. However, even your ability to stretch has limits. Have you thought about recruiting seasonal help?

Hiring your first employee can be nerve-racking but no fear: The Suomi.fi web service maintained by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency provides reliable information on the employer's responsibilities and obligations.

First take a moment to think

When you first get the idea of hiring additional workforce, brew a cup of coffee and stop for a moment to think. Consider whether your company needs a fixed-term or permanent employee, or perhaps a trainee. Is there enough work for the whole work day or for a part-time role?  Would you like to hire someone yourself or use leased employees? In that case, the staffing agency is the employer role but you are in charge of the work and responsible for training and occupational safety.  

What costs will you have on top of wages?

When planning to hire an employee, it is good to keep in mind that salary costs are not the only expenses your company will need to pay. Indirect wages refer to such payments as holiday pay and midweek holiday compensation that are regulated by legislation and employment contracts.

In addition to these, you also need to pay employer contributions such as the withholding tax on the employee's salary or remuneration and employer's health insurance premiums. These account for about a quarter of the employee's gross wage.

You can easily calculate wages and budget using the Tax Administration's pay calculator; you can also find useful information on wages and employer contributions here. You can also contact your accounting office for advice. Before you make calculations, it is worth seeing if your company could receive a pay subsidy.

How to find the most suitable employee?

Once you have decided to hire Christmas help for your company, take action: prepare a clear and sufficiently informative job ad and send it to the recruitment channels that you think will best reach the gem you are looking for. In some cases, it is enough to advertise on your company's own social media channels, and sometimes it is worth utilising the TE Services’ free vacancy service.

Once you have interviewed the most suitable candidates and made your choice (in compliance with the provisions on equality), prepare a written employment contract with the employee. Here you can find instructions on how. Keep in mind that according to legislation, you must provide preventive occupational health care also for fixed-term employees.

Helping hands bring holiday cheer

Suomi.fi online service offers a recruitment wizard, a convenient tool that gives you a clear list of things to remember and take care of when hiring an employee. The wizard makes it easy to search for and find the most suitable pair of helping hands, the happiest colleague, the most inspiring coffee break buddy. We wish all Finnish entrepreneurs a productive Christmas season!