Wood Words

Weather: HOT. Productivity…NOT?

The mercury is rising.

Schools are closing.

Vacations are looming.

And employee productivity? Well, get ready for a real nose dive…unless you’re being proactive, that is.

Summer brings with it excitement, fun and myriad distractions. Even if your employees show up to work, their minds may be on anything BUT work. What are the best ways to prevent a summer productivity slump? Today, our Lebanon employment agency shares its top tips for keeping employees motivated, focused and efficient on the job:

  • Set a great example. If you keep your golf clubs next to your desk all season and take a laid-back approach to work during the summer months, chances are your employees will, too. Make sure you set the right tone for work ethic – because employees will take their cues from you.
  • Be flexible. Vacations, special events, out-of-town guests – summer is full of activity for everyone. Create policies that provide employees with a reasonable degree of flexibility to take the paid time off they’ve earned.
  • Supplement your core team with temporary support. Work with your staffing partner to maintain optimal staff levels when employees need time off. Wood Personnel is ready to deliver qualified resources for office, industrial, HR, IT and other management and professional roles.
  • Offload repetitive, time-consuming or other low-priority tasks. “Mental vacations” are almost as common as real ones during the summer months. How can you combat summer “brain drain”? Free your talented employees to focus on interesting, high-priority tasks by relieving them of tedious work that bogs them down and zaps their productivity.
  • Implement a summer hour schedule. Offering summer “flex hours” shows employees that you care about their obligations and interests outside work. Consider these options (or variations of them) to suit your team’s needs:
    • Flex shifts. Allow employees to work any shift, as long as they arrive within a certain window you designate and put in a full day. If you can’t offer this flexibility all week, offer “Flex Fridays” or rotate flex hour days among employees.
    • Allow employees to work longer shifts Monday through Thursdays to “earn” time off on Fridays. Again, if this isn’t logistically feasible for your entire organization, rotate the weeks employees can take advantage of this flex-time perk.
    • Telecommuting. Permit employees to work from home one day a week or every few weeks.
  • Lighten up the dress code. Restrictive office clothing and uniforms can be stifling in the summer. If possible, modify the dress code (even if it’s only on Fridays) or provide warm-weather uniforms.
  • Encourage vacations. Time away from work is essential for employees to recharge, refocus and recommit themselves. Urge your employees to use their earned vacation, and then back it up with protocols to ensure they don’t have to contact work while they’re away.

Employees need time off?

Call our Lebanon employment agency, or your local Wood Personnel office, to keep productivity high – and your business running smoothly – all summer long.

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