Do a landscaping company’s seasonal workers come back each spring?
Some do, some do not, and the pattern is worth checking. Ask for the seasonal roster over several years, mark who returned, and find out why others left. A high return rate can point to fair treatment and a trained crew; a low one means rebuilding each spring.
A landscaping company that gets its trained people back each spring starts the season ahead. One that has to recruit from scratch spends the first weeks teaching, and that shows up in quality and speed. So ask for the facts.
Request a roster for each of the last several seasons, with names, roles, start and end dates. Mark the ones who came back and the ones who did not. Check the leads and crew heads separately, since they matter most. Ask how the company keeps in touch over winter, whether it offers an early call-back, and how it pays, schedules and treats people.
If seasonal workers come through a program or agency, ask how that works and who handles the paperwork, then check with your lawyer or accountant on what changes at a sale. Ask what happens to hours in a wet spring or a late fall. Speak with the crew leaders about who plans to return. Finally, ask how much of the summer cash depends on a stable team, and what the owner does when people don’t come back. Ask whether any returning workers were promised something for next season, such as a raise, a set start date or a lead role, and whether that promise is written down.
Key takeaways
- Get rosters across several seasons and mark who returned.
- Treat crew leaders separately from general labour.
- Ask what the company does to stay in touch over winter.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to reduce employee turnover
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