Managing people during peak season

Marlborough Tour Company is Marlborough’s largest tourism operator, managing a diverse and highly seasonal workforce across multiple businesses including Furneaux Lodge, Punga Cove, Cougar Line, Pelorus Mail Boat, Marlborough Tours, Marlborough Sounds Adventure Co and Wilderness Guides. 
 
With staff numbers fluctuating throughout the year, their people processes had evolved organically, relying on paper timesheets, email-based onboarding, and information stored across folders and inboxes. 
 
While this worked during quieter periods, peak season exposed the cracks.

As seasonal recruitment increased, onboarding tasks and payroll checks became more complex. 
 
Manual processes meant: 

• Timesheets were paper-based 
• Onboarding relied on back-and-forth emails 
• Important documents were stored in multiple locations 
• Tasks were harder to track as hiring volumes increased 

During peak periods, this created more admin, more double-checking, and less confidence that everything had been completed correctly before payroll runs.

Marlborough Tour Company introduced Smartly’s People Management tools to bring structure and visibility to hiring and onboarding while keeping everything connected directly to payroll. 
 
Instead of relying on inboxes and memory, onboarding steps were assigned and tracked through clear workflows. The Tasks section became a practical daily tool, helping the team check what was completed and what still required attention before pay runs. 
 
Access controls ensured the right people had visibility across the organisation, reducing risk as roles and staff numbers changed.

By bringing people management and payroll together in one system, Marlborough Tour Company reduced time spent chasing paperwork and emails, cut down internal back-and-forth, and improved confidence that payroll checks were completed properly. 
 
With clearer workflows and better visibility, the team now feels in control - even during their busiest months.

“Smartly gives us a clear, trackable way to manage people as we grow - especially when things get busy. It’s taken a lot of the stress out of hiring, onboarding and payroll checks.”

For tourism, hospitality, and other seasonal businesses managing fluctuating staff numbers, having hiring, onboarding, and payroll checks connected in one place can significantly reduce risk and admin during peak periods. 
 
Smartly’s People Management tools are designed to scale with growing businesses - without adding unnecessary complexity.

See how Smartly’s integrated payroll and people management platform can give you the same peace of mind. Book a demo today and get back to focusing on what you do best.