Keeping employee motivation high during the summer months can be challenging, especially if your location is one where winters are long and that long-awaited time between June and September is sacred. But even in year-round warm weather climes, one’s mood just naturally shifts starting right around Memorial Day …employees begin to mentally check out and daydream about being elsewhere. I’d rather be at work, said no one ever during these dog days. Or, as another saying goes, “A rainy day at the beach is better than a sunny day at the office.”
Here are five ideas for maintaining employee productivity and engagement between now and Labor Day:
1. Encourage people to take time off.
Unless your business peaks during the summer, encourage your employees to take vacation time and personal days to disconnect and get some well-deserved rest. It will pay off in terms of their focus and energy levels when they return to work.
2. Chill out: Make work comfortable and even refreshing.
Make the workplace as comfortable as possible. It can be really tough to work in a hot, confined area, especially after lunch. So if you don’t have air conditioning, invest in fans, open windows, and do whatever else it takes to cool the place off.
- Hold meetings or let people work outdoors when possible. Devices can still connect to Wi Fi to keep everyone plugged in. Provide tables, grills and coolers of drinks in shaded areas where people can hang out on breaks, even if their work necessitates they be inside. If you’re meeting with someone one on one, do it while taking a refreshing walk.
3. Offer opportunities to learn new skills.
Implementing new processes and learning new professional skills can actually help boost productivity during the summer months. If the seasonal workload is a bit less, people can really get into training and development programs.This may be the perfect time to take on-site or online courses.
- Consider planning a day-long getaway retreat. Spend the morning on work-related training, then let everyone enjoy a nearby beach, resort or amusement park during the afternoon. Conclude the day with a staff Happy Hour. You can even invite families to join in the fun
4. Give people time to give back.
Pick a volunteer cause that your entire company supports, or encourage employees to find causes that tap into their personal passions. Then, provide time for people to get out there and volunteer. As you give back to your community, make sure team members are decked out in company gear.
5. Offer flexible hours.
Ideally, you should provide flexible work hours year round. But be particularly attuned to the need for this to happen in the summertime. It really will make the living easier for your employees and their loved ones.
- Aloha Friday! For starters, allow people to leave at noontime every Friday. But an even better solution is to give employees the choice of when they need to be in the office or when they can take off early or come in late. Remember, as long as the job gets done, it’s all good.
For more tips on building and maintaining high employee productivity, engagement and loyalty on a year-round basis, contact Search Wizards today.