3 Ways Branch Can Support Seasonal Workers: From Amusement Parks to Restaurants and Beyond

⏰ Est. reading time: 4 mins

💡 What you’ll learn:

• The challenges of employing seasonal talent at amusement parks, restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality businesses
• How Branch can support these seasonal workers
• Why it's crucial to find a solution that allows you to pay all seasonal workers, including the unbanked

Whether you're ramping up for the busy summer months at an amusement park or bringing on additional waitstaff to cover a holiday event, seasonal workers are essential to business success.

However, their temporary status can present unique obstacles, including a shortened onboarding window; the need to navigate payroll regulations like final paycheck laws; and challenges around how to offer a fast payments experience to workers who may not have an existing bank account.

Luckily, platforms like Branch can help make the process smoother for everyone involved. Here are three key ways Branch can support seasonal workers.

1. Streamlining the Onboarding Process 

While you may provide other full-time hires with a longer onboarding process, seasonal hires like theme park staff need to hit the ground running. This can leave them feeling inadequately trained—and create friction with the payments process.

Fortunately, one element of onboarding that Branch can help with is ensuring an efficient payroll set-up. With Branch, you can hand out Branch Cards to your staff and start paying them on day one—making it easy for workers to take home their wages right away.

Employees can also take their Branch Cards with them for life. This means that if a seasonal employee returns to school in the fall but wants to work for you the following summer, they’ll still have the same card and can be paid to the same account—no new set-up required.

And when it comes to issuing final paychecks, Branch has you covered, too. 

2. Helping You Comply with Final Paycheck Laws

Whether seasonal staff are finishing their last shift of the year or they suddenly quit, getting them their last paycheck can be tricky—but it’s crucial to get it right. If you don’t comply with your state-specific laws, you could be subject to penalties or fines. Many major companies have even been sued for failure to comply with final paycheck laws. 

California has particularly strict final paycheck laws: if you terminate an employee—or if they resign with 72 hours notice you must provide their final paycheck immediately, on their final day of work.  If the employee is resigning without notice, you still only have a limited window—72 hours—to provide their final pay. 

If you’re using outdated payment methods like cash or paper checks, this may pose a challenge, requiring you to track down an employee after they’ve left to ensure they receive payment. Having to overnight a check may also be costly and leave you vulnerable to theft. 

Branch allows you to send employees their earnings—including wages, tips, and any other payments—as soon as shifts are complete, meaning you can stay compliant with final paycheck laws and also ensure a seamless payouts experience.

3. Offer Easy Access to Funds for All Your Workers

Many seasonal workers—especially those in entry-level positions at theme parks, venues, or restaurants—may not have access to traditional banking services. Your workers may be unbanked, international seasonal employees, or minors starting off in their first job.

Some might be unbanked, while others may be minors who are working their first job for the summer. You might hire high school students, exchange students, or workers who have limited documentation and have trouble accessing traditional financial services. And when an employee doesn’t have an existing bank account, it's hard to start paying them their earnings right away.

Branch offers a solution that eliminates these barriers by providing a card and digital bank account that doesn’t require any existing account. You can pay workers directly to their Branch accounts, which can be accessed immediately.

And with Branch's International Spend options, your workers can continue to to access and utilize their account from more places around the globe.

By offering a more inclusive method of payment, Branch ensures that all workers, regardless of their financial situation or experience, can be paid fairly and promptly.

Offer Fast, Flexible Payments Year-Round

Managing seasonal workers comes with unique challenges, but they don’t have to derail you during your busiest times. With Branch, restaurants, hotels, amusement parks, and other hospitality businesses can streamline the onboarding process, support compliance with final paycheck laws, and offer inclusive payment solutions to workers without access to traditional banking. 

All of this can lead to smoother operations during your busiest times—allowing you to focus on what matters most: delivering excellent customer service.

Learn more about Branch for hospitality.

FAQs

Have a question about how Branch works? Explore some of the information below, or reach out to us at sales@branchapp.com.

How much does Branch cost?

Branch is free for you and your employees. Workers can access their funds with the Branch App and Card—eliminating overdraft fees, transaction fees, inactivity fees, and minimum account balance requirements.

What kind of payments can you send with Branch?

Branch is a complete payments platform, allowing you to send all types of worker payments, including wages, cashless tips, and mileage reimbursements. You can also send off-cycle payments like bonuses or incentives, which can be a great recruiting tool when needing to quickly hire more seasonal talent.

Is this available for minors and workers with limited documentation?

Yes! Branch can offer accounts to minors 14+ and workers who have limited documentation, so you can support more of your seasonal workforce. Not having a prior banking history should not be a barrier to getting fast, flexible pay.

Where can Branch Cards be used?

Your employees can use Branch Cards just as they would any other debit card, to make purchases both in-store and online anywhere in the U.S., and across many countries abroad through our International Spend program. They can also connect their accounts to Apple Pay or Google Wallet in order to enable contactless spending.