Summer is Here: Boost Morale With a Few Seasonal Changes
During the summer, days get longer, the weather gets nicer, and spirits in general seem to lift. There’s an atmosphere of relaxation in the air and employees are enjoying life and having fun. But while this buoyant mood improves attitudes around the office, it doesn’t always do much for engagement and productivity. Here are a few ways you can boost morale and turn the summer season to your advantage.
Keep Employees Focused During the Summer
- Choose your battles. If an employee calls in sick on a Monday and you suspect she isn’t sick at all, just extending a weekend at the beach, stop and think before you raise an accusatory eyebrow. If an employee has an otherwise glowing attendance record, don’t start unnecessary friction over one well-earned mental health day.
- Indulge in a little festivity. Take your employees out for ice cream for an hour. Schedule an afternoon of mini golf. Keep your dress code on track by being lenient on scheduled occasions, like an official Hawaiian shirt day.
- Schedule a morale-boosting, team-building weekend getaway, like a camping trip or a Saturday hike. This may be an involved operation that requires some planning, but the summer is a great time to do this, and no matter what happens, your employees will experience some outside-of-work bonding time and come home with great memories.
- If you have a park nearby, supply employees with Frisbees, wiffle bats, soccer balls and other fun equipment they can kick around for an hour during their lunch breaks.
- Consider a seasonal change in décor. Bring some plants into the office if you don’t have them already. And move objects and cubicles around to make the most of your sources of natural light. Do anything you can to make employees feel happy at their desks. That way morale will stay strong and attention will be less likely to drift.