The dog days of summer can be a killer for office productivity. Kids are out of school, people are taking vacations and the weather is beautiful daily. So, how do you keep your team motivated, focused and productive? It’s a challenge but with a little effort it can be done. Here are five suggestions for how to keep your workforce productive over the summer months:
1) Hold Fun Competitions With Great Prizes
One easy way to motivate is to create fun and healthy competitions. These competitions can be work related (who lands the most new clients in a week), fun (an office treasure hunt), or just a random drawing. Prizes can be anything, from something big (an Apple Watch), to gift cards, or simply bragging rights. We recommend filling the summer with an assortment of fun office activities to keep people wondering what will be next.
2) Set Summer Goals
In addition to adding a little excitement to the office with fun competitions, we recommend setting attainable summer goals. Many offices find summer slow and as a result expectations diminish. It doesn’t take long before an entire workforce finds themselves day-dreaming and watching the clock. Don’t let your team fall victim to this. Instead, set some attainable goals and communicate progress with your workforce. While phone calls, emails, and orders may dip during the summer months, that doesn’t mean your teams’ productivity should too. Help them feel accomplished with summer goals.
3) Try Something New
Thinking about moving to an open-office layout? Wondering if your workforce could be more productive working from home? Considering the implementation of a BYOD policy? Summer is the perfect time to try out some of these new approaches. The change will evoke excitement, boost moral, and breakup the monotony of the same old workday. And, you might actually find some of these new office approaches work!
4) Plan A Company Outing
Company outings are a great way to thank your team for all their hard work. But, it’s also a perfect tool for increasing productivity. Seeing everyone out of the office, enjoying life, laughing and maybe even letting loose, allows team members to get to know each other on a different level. In addition, consider adding team building activities to further boost working relationships. With a happier workforce you’ll most definitely enjoy a more productive summer.
5) Re-decorate
Research has shown a more personalized space has a direct effect on an employees mood and productivity. Summer is a great time to encourage your workforce to spruce up their office space. Consider giving a small stipend for redecorating, bring an office plant for each employee, or create a fun challenge. In addition, change up the break-room, conference room and/or waiting area. This will change the scenery and breath life back into the office.
What have you done in the past to increase productivity over the Summer? Share your ideas in the comments below.
