Summer is when most businesses experience a slowdown in employee productivity and sales. According to Captivate Network, attendance reduces by 19% when temperatures rise, and employees are 45% more distracted than during other seasons. This is large because most employees leave work early or take time off during summer.
So, if this is the trend at your workplace, here are a few things to motivate your employees, increase engagement, and minimize the summer slump.
1. Encourage Competition
Summer is the ideal time to hold incentive programs as they give employees goals to work toward, increasing motivation during this slow period. Additionally, incentive programs are inexpensive and re-energize employees to focus on their work.
For instance, have contests to see who makes the most sales, completes the most tasks, or receives the most positive feedback from customers. You can then reward the winners with gift hampers, bonuses, or an extra day off. You can also award them with perks like enrolment to a summer fitness program to give them something interesting to look forward to, which can also be a great team-building activity.
2. Appreciate Employees
According to a study by Deloitte, recognition improves employee productivity, engagement, and performance by 14%. Recognizing your employees’ achievements and successes enhances and supports a positive company culture.
That said, during summer, you can boost employee engagement by giving them meaningful recognition and praise for their successes to maintain a productive and happy work environment. Show appreciation by giving them perks like VIP parking slots, using digital signage to display their achievements, etc. Moreover, you should not overlook a simple thank you note as it can also motivate your employees.
So, as you show appreciation, ensure to mention specific points where they have excelled. You need to make a bigger show of recognition and appreciation for larger projects or teamwork efforts.
The bottom line is that you need to regularly express gratitude or recognize your employees’ hard work to increase morale.
3. Offer Flexibility
During summertime, motivate your employees by giving them more freedom and less time at work. This includes flexibility to work for fewer hours at the office or the option to work from home. A survey from Captivate shows that half the respondents preferred more freedom during the day, and 42% preferred to work from home during summer.
For small businesses that cannot afford to have employees work from home, you can try job sharing or flexible schedules to ensure enough work coverage. In addition, you can introduce work options where the employees can be more productive and keep track of important projects.
Once you allow your team freedom at the workplace, you will experience fewer absences. Flexibility allows them to go out with their work whenever they need to go outside. You can also schedule meetings outside the conference room in a more relaxed location, like the local park, to allow you to take care of business as you break the old routine.
If you are experiencing slowdowns in summer, you can close early on Fridays, and this new routine could motivate your team to focus more on completing their tasks early. In addition, encourage your workers to observe work-life balance by making use of their off days to release the day-to-day pressure of the business environment. If you effectively schedule vacations, your employees will be refreshed, relaxed, and engaged all year round.
4. Incorporate More Break Times
According to some studies, 63% of employees say that they socialize more with coworkers, while 51% take extended lunch breaks during summer. So, most workers are more distracted during summer than at other times of the year. With fewer clients, fewer workers in the office, and their thoughts on their vacation plans, your employees’ attention spans get shorter during this season.
Keep your employees focused by incorporating work breaks and organizing creative group activities or walks outside the office. If you have rules about social media at the workplace, you can schedule a surprise 10-minute break for your employees to catch up on their social media feeds.
However, emphasize the need to remain focused on their work when it does not break time. Also, give yourself time out. If you do not have vacation plans, you can schedule your own time to disconnect from work and relax to avoid burnout.
Conclusion
Since most employees daydream about vacations, the summer months are the best time to plan team-building activities, like outings for them to have fun. So give them a long weekend to create time for these fun activities.
Besides these ways to motivate employees during summer, you can spend this time educating them by providing training. You can liaise with community organizations with affordable packages and schedules like evening or weekend classes. Skilled and competent team members are motivated to work toward a company’s success.
So, taking time to bring in a consultant or take employees to summer school to learn about the latest innovations in your industry will equip them to be more professional and give your business a competitive advantage.
