Temperature affects people’s energy and mood. Working during the summer holidays is a nightmare for bosses! Let alone for employees. Still, it is the managers’ job to keep these employees motivated and engaged. And that’s hard but not impossible mission.
In this article, we will provide you with tips to help keep your team motivated & engaged during the summer holidays! With no further prolongation, let’s start with the first tip!
1. Work Outside
Summer is the perfect time when your employees can work outside. So, instead of locking them in a conference room or keeping them stuck to their desks, encourage workers to take their laptops, tablets, smartphones, or files and head outside to enjoy the summer breeze and the warm weather.
Vitamin D is proven to increase energy and spread a feeling of freshness throughout one’s body. And what’s better than taking vitamin D from its first source: the sun!?
So, if you have a one-on-one meeting, for instance, it’s more recommendable that you head outside for a walk instead of having it in the office. That’ll increase your employees’ focus & reduce their stress and anxiety during the meeting! And you know, less anxiety equals more attention and creativity in the discussed matter.
However, if your company doesn't have working outside as an option, encourage/allow employees to have 15 minutes breaks throughout the day. It will boost concentration and increase more positive feelings.
2. Set Flexible Working Hours
No matter how much you love your work, you’ll always prefer to leave earlier! That’s why, as a business owner, you should introduce the concept of “summer Fridays” to your employees. Those are Fridays when can leave work earlier than usual (of course, after they’ve finished a specific task!). That will motivate them and allow them to relax and recharge their energy to kick off next week.
Working moms and dads' nightmare season is probably summer because the little ones are out of school. It’s very motivating to provide those with more flexible working hours. And with the technology the world provides nowadays, it is very possible to let your employees work remotely!
Although this might not be appropriate for all types of businesses, try to reduce your work week to four days. Set goals to be met in four days and let your employees enjoy the rest of the week with their families and friends where they desire. If basic tasks are left undone, you can ask the employees responsible for these tasks to take care of them from their homes. Just ensure it’s not an extra week of work for them!
This, in a general sense, tells your team that you understand the hardship they are going through and the irresistible call of beaches, river rides, and all the fun!
3. Reward your Employees
Show your employees that you appreciate their consistent work and care about them by rewarding them.
Money is one of the most important driving factors for any job. More of it will certainly feel good! So, provide workers with extra bonuses after finishing projects in the summer.
You can also provide extra vacation days for those who surpass their goals. It will keep them motivated and encourage them to work better.
You can give your employees gifts. Gift cards, tickets for movies or concerts, books, or noise-canceling headphones… all can be a great gift! The list depends on your employees’ preferences.
4. Break the Rules
Summer might be a great opportunity for you to have fun with your employees. So, why not organize non-mandatory happy hours after work?
You can email everyone informing them about the event, so they come prepared for some fun! Also, make sure that it’s within walking distance from the office to make it easy for everybody to join and have fun.
No ideas? Try bringing an ice cream or summer food truck and let everybody enjoy the delicious food in a longer than usual lunch break. That will make your employees socialize with their co-workers and managers and help them engage more.
Music is an energy booster. Occasionally, allow your employees to take music breaks, where they can loud up summer vibes, dance, and sing (if their voices are good). It would break the monotonous routines and atmosphere and increase energy levels in the office.
5. Organize Competitions & Contests
Friendly competitions will not only boost your employees’ mood and strengthen their professional relationships, but they’ll also help the whole company hit goals faster! That’s why Huntzen adopts the friendly competition culture and takes it seriously (in a fun way!).
It’s working for us, and we recommend you organize friendly competitions and contests for your employees. That will allow them to re-energize and work better in and out of the office.
You can set goals for projects they are working on and reward the one (or ones) who comes up with the best results. But you can also go a bit off the shore and do athletic contests such as tennis, soccer, or any group game your team may like.
6. Provide more Incentives
Provide your employees with the right incentives. For instance, parents struggle during summer as school ends. You can help solve their problem by offering childcare in the office or partnering with an association that organizes summer camps and events for kids.
You can also run the extra mile and provide something like an onsite gym. The rule’s clear about that, working out releases stress & improves employees' focus to a double!
The ideas here are almost unlimited! Just pick or come up with one and get started!
7. Encourage Vacations
It is common that we can go ahead by having fewer days off, but that’s not necessarily true. Allowing your team members to take some extra rest to recharge themselves will make them more focused when back to the office.
A burnout employee will cause more harm than he’d have done by taking a day or two off. That’s why you should allow your employees to disconnect often; they’ll certainly come back stronger. That will also help them have a work-life balance and make them happier. In fact, happy employees are 12% more productive than others!
Conclusion
Summer is a tough season to work in, but it doesn’t mean you can’t make it a fun season in your office. By following the tips above & being creative as well, you’ll be able to make it easier and more enjoyable for your employees to work during the summer.
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