3 Ways to Keep Morale Up in the Summer

06 Jul 3 Ways to Keep Morale Up in the Summer

There might not be a cure for the summertime blues, but there are ways to help stave off slacking and low morale among employees in those potentially lazy, hazy crazy days of summer. 

It’s the time of year most people dream about — long days, warm temperatures, patios and picnics and picturesque times of leisure. But when you have to work, how do you maintain momentum and ambition? How do you keep your team focused when you’d all rather be somewhere else? 

It’s not impossible. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

1. Say thanks

It’s so simple but so true: People who feel recognized and appreciated are more invested in their jobs. People who know their supervisors and managers value and respect them and their work will remain committed and happy and will be willing to go a little further and do a little more. Whether it’s kudos given out during a meeting, so colleagues can hear the praise, or a one-on-one conversation, let your team know you’re grateful for them and their efforts. They’ll appreciate it, and you, and it’ll help them stay on task. It’s also just the right thing to do. 

2. Use the time to update skills or handle long-neglected projects

For some companies, the summer months are a little slower because clients are off on vacations or responsibilities are slightly decreased. It’s hard to stay focused when there isn’t much to do. Take the opportunity to give your staff something new, whether it’s training opportunities to learn new skills, or the chance to help give the corporate website and social media accounts a new look. Maybe give some people who wouldn’t normally be tasked with these things the opportunity to weigh in: Sometimes our eyes lose focus and can’t see the forest for the trees, whereas new eyes have a whole different perspective. 

3. Be flexible 

It’s rare for someone to not want to take even a little time off during the summer. Those beautiful days are really tempting! If it’s possible, offer some wiggle room with schedules and shifts. Can you offer shorter hours on Fridays? Is it possible for people to rotate four-day work weeks? Is working from home an option? Be creative to give everyone a chance to enjoy the all-too-brief summer months, managers included. Everyone will feel more refreshed and less stressed if they know they’re getting a little break. 

Not every solution will work for every office, but there’s plenty of room for relaxation while getting projects completed. Happy workers are productive workers! 

Contact LeadingEdge

Stuck on how to keep your team on track? Contact LeadingEdge today. We’re ready to offer more advice on how to maintain an engaged, productive, and committee team or, if needed, to help you find new employees to help add to the talent you’ve already assembled in house. Contact LeadingEdge today and let’s get started.