6 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged During The Summer
Posted on July 11th, 2017 Read time: 3 minutes
By: Tania Fiero, VP of Human Resources
Published By: Times of San Diego
The weather is warm, the beaches are packed and 5 p.m. couldn’t come soon enough. In San Diego as well as the rest of the country, it’s common for productivity to dip as temperatures rise.
So what can you do about it? Find creative ways to engage them! According to Gallup, engaged teams show dramatically less employee turnover and absenteeism, 17 percent higher productivity, and 21 percent greater profitability.
Here are six tips to help boost workplace productivity when your employees start to hit the summer slide — and the bottom line:
Tip 1: Lighten Things Up
Shake up the workplace status quo in the summer to keep employees engaged and motivated. How about hosting an ice cream social or a trip to Petco Park to cheer for your hometown San Diego Padres? If that’s not in the cards, try hosting casual-dress days where employees can wear their favorite baseball jersey. Schedule an employee appreciation lunch and bring in hot dogs, peanuts and drinks to your office. If you have an outdoor space, consider bringing in a grill for an afternoon barbecue.
Tip 2: Be Flexible with Schedules
Allowing employees a flexible schedule shows that you understand they have outside commitments such as camping weekends, barbecues, family vacations, children’s summer camps or other warm-weather activities. Employees who are parents will appreciate your flexibility, allowing them to spend extra time with their family doing fun summer activities and preparing for the next school year. Also, providing flex time shows you are committed to promoting a true work-life balance leading to happier and healthier employees in the long-run.
Tip 3: Create Summer-Themed Perks
Employee perks don’t have to cost a ton, but can go a long way in promoting a strong workplace culture at your company. Consider some exciting, summer-themed treats to reward employees for going above and beyond. Creative ideas include: coupons for “sleep-in day,” “long-lunch day,” “leave early for the beach day” and more. Or, managers can show their appreciation for an employee each week by providing a car wash, movie tickets or a gift card to their favorite restaurant. Weekly giveaways can keep employees productive and spur friendly competition in the office.
Tip 4: Hire an Intern
There’s something satisfying about teaching students what it’s like in the working world through a summer internship. A company can provide an hourly wage or college credit to an intern while giving them valuable experience. Interns can learn from multiple employees which provides your employees with a break from their daily tasks, the opportunity to mentor young careers and a fresh, new perspective within the office. At the end of the summer, your staff will be sad to see the intern leave!
Tip 5: Get Out of The office and Give Back
What better way to combat summer restlessness than to get out of the office to volunteer in the community! This is a great tactic to keep employees connected to the community. During the summer, beach cleanups are always needed (and fun!), and there are plenty of volunteer opportunities at charity runs/walks on the weekends. These events not only help make a difference but serve as serve as company team-bonding opportunities.
Tip 6: Host a “Bring your Child to Work” Day
Kids love to see what their mom or dad do every day. Consider a full-day event that allows your employees to bring their youngsters to the office. Parents and children can participate in cool activities such as creating a vision board together, learning about goal-setting, partaking in a volunteer project for a local nonprofit, competing in parent-child relay races and more.
Summertime provides a golden opportunity to switch up the workplace routine as well as appreciate your hardworking employees. Take a few of the tips above, get creative and mix it up with your staff!
Check out this published article on Times of San Diego
Tania Fiero, PHR is Vice President of Human Resources at Innovative Employee Solutions, a leading nationwide provider of contingent workforce solutions specializing in Payrolling and Independent Contractor Compliance services. IES was founded in 1974 in San Diego and offers customized solutions and contractor management services for today’s contingent workforce.
Related Articles
Posted on July 11th, 2017 Read time: 3 minutes
By: Tania Fiero, VP of Human Resources
Published By: Times of San Diego
The weather is warm, the beaches are packed and 5 p.m. couldn’t come soon enough. In San Diego as well as the rest of the country, it’s common for productivity to dip as temperatures rise.
So what can you do about it? Find creative ways to engage them! According to Gallup, engaged teams show dramatically less employee turnover and absenteeism, 17 percent higher productivity, and 21 percent greater profitability.
Here are six tips to help boost workplace productivity when your employees start to hit the summer slide — and the bottom line:
Tip 1: Lighten Things Up
Shake up the workplace status quo in the summer to keep employees engaged and motivated. How about hosting an ice cream social or a trip to Petco Park to cheer for your hometown San Diego Padres? If that’s not in the cards, try hosting casual-dress days where employees can wear their favorite baseball jersey. Schedule an employee appreciation lunch and bring in hot dogs, peanuts and drinks to your office. If you have an outdoor space, consider bringing in a grill for an afternoon barbecue.
Tip 2: Be Flexible with Schedules
Allowing employees a flexible schedule shows that you understand they have outside commitments such as camping weekends, barbecues, family vacations, children’s summer camps or other warm-weather activities. Employees who are parents will appreciate your flexibility, allowing them to spend extra time with their family doing fun summer activities and preparing for the next school year. Also, providing flex time shows you are committed to promoting a true work-life balance leading to happier and healthier employees in the long-run.
Tip 3: Create Summer-Themed Perks
Employee perks don’t have to cost a ton, but can go a long way in promoting a strong workplace culture at your company. Consider some exciting, summer-themed treats to reward employees for going above and beyond. Creative ideas include: coupons for “sleep-in day,” “long-lunch day,” “leave early for the beach day” and more. Or, managers can show their appreciation for an employee each week by providing a car wash, movie tickets or a gift card to their favorite restaurant. Weekly giveaways can keep employees productive and spur friendly competition in the office.
Tip 4: Hire an Intern
There’s something satisfying about teaching students what it’s like in the working world through a summer internship. A company can provide an hourly wage or college credit to an intern while giving them valuable experience. Interns can learn from multiple employees which provides your employees with a break from their daily tasks, the opportunity to mentor young careers and a fresh, new perspective within the office. At the end of the summer, your staff will be sad to see the intern leave!
Tip 5: Get Out of The office and Give Back
What better way to combat summer restlessness than to get out of the office to volunteer in the community! This is a great tactic to keep employees connected to the community. During the summer, beach cleanups are always needed (and fun!), and there are plenty of volunteer opportunities at charity runs/walks on the weekends. These events not only help make a difference but serve as serve as company team-bonding opportunities.
Tip 6: Host a “Bring your Child to Work” Day
Kids love to see what their mom or dad do every day. Consider a full-day event that allows your employees to bring their youngsters to the office. Parents and children can participate in cool activities such as creating a vision board together, learning about goal-setting, partaking in a volunteer project for a local nonprofit, competing in parent-child relay races and more.
Summertime provides a golden opportunity to switch up the workplace routine as well as appreciate your hardworking employees. Take a few of the tips above, get creative and mix it up with your staff!
Check out this published article on Times of San Diego
Tania Fiero, PHR is Vice President of Human Resources at Innovative Employee Solutions, a leading nationwide provider of contingent workforce solutions specializing in Payrolling and Independent Contractor Compliance services. IES was founded in 1974 in San Diego and offers customized solutions and contractor management services for today’s contingent workforce.
