3 Ways To Keep Your Team Happy During The Summer Months

With the summer months approaching, your employees are no doubt looking forward to nicer weather, spending more time outside, and vacationing. It’s one thing to be stuck inside an office in the middle of winter, but quite another to be working long hours when the sun is shining bright. That’s probably why the Captivate Network found that workplace productivity drops 20% during the summer months, that projects take 13% longer to complete, and that workers are 45% more distracted.

Instead of working your team dry, we recommend using this time of year to keep your employees engaged and happy.

Here’s How:

Encourage Vacations — While most bosses don’t like for their teams to take vacation, be the one who does. It’s important for your team to have time to clear their minds, relieve stress, and regain their energy. Additionally, if your employees feel like they are taken care of, they are very likely to take care of you and your business in return.

If this isn’t enough to convince you, recent research shows that vacations are great for productivity. 50% of employees said they were more focused after taking time off, and 41% said they felt less stress after taking time off.

Another great idea is to incorporate summer Fridays. What does that mean? Every Friday, someone from your team can take the afternoon off. There’s nothing like having an entire afternoon to yourself, and doing this will give your employees something to look forward to.

Free Fun — You don’t have to have plenty of funds to motivate your team during the summer months. Another great idea is to have a bi-monthly potluck Friday. Your employees get to bring in their favorite dish and you all get to bond over a meal at the office.

Another fantastic idea is to go for a walk with your team every Friday. Not only will you guys be getting a great dose of vitamin d, but you’ll also be getting the benefits of exercising and of taking a break. Which means, you’ll all be refreshed and energized to get back to work.

Don’t Be a Grinch — Don’t be the boss who points out that your employees are strolling in past 9 A.M, taking more than an hour for lunch, and leaving promptly at 5 P.M. Instead, try to empathize with your employees. As long as deadlines are being met and your clients and customers are happy, understand that your team is probably ready for a break and is using the good weather to connect with their friends and family.

But, if you are concerned about a lack of focus, share that concern with your team. Communication is key and trusting your employees enough to be honest with them will lessen your burden, and will let everyone focus on what matters.

Getting the job done AND enjoying the summer months.

Do you have any ideas to add to the list?

Share your thoughts in the comments.