24 Mar Boost Employee Engagement in the Summer Months
What a week of weather we have had! With the sun shining and Easter over, it’s the perfect time to recuperate, reflect, re-connect, and take a look at how everybody (and the business!) is doing. A recent study found that workplace productivity drops 20 % during the summer months, projects tend to take 13 % longer to complete and workers are 45 % more distracted. With that in mind, here are my top tips for boosting engagement to help maintain productivity, keep employees motivated and beat the summertime blues:
Re-connect with your colleagues: The desire to play more in the summer months isn’t the only reason productivity declines. Most staff haven’t had a break since Christmas. The warm weather and longer days mean they will want to spend more time outdoors, get their minds off work and replenish. Consider implementing casual or half-day Fridays for the summer months. Be spontaneous and send everybody home an hour early on a warm sunny day – chances are they won’t be the most productive anyway looking out at the sun shining, while they are stuck inside! Hire an ice-cream van to come to your office and give out whippy ice-cream.
Do something that includes everybody: Run a competition or team up with a charity to do a raffle, creating a feel-good factor throughout the office.
Schedule a fun outdoor team event. Bring the fun of summer to the workplace or local venue. Summer parties/BBQs are a must. Get employees and their families together to enjoy the beautiful weather. Include activities for kids and adults. See Glenn’s Top Tip’s for Organising the Perfect Summer Party.
Fun photos: Plan for a photo-album contest at the end of the summer: Ask employees to share photos or posts of summer activities. Run a competition where the winner gets a holiday voucher. If you have a family fun day event, choose the best pics from that day. Book a photo-booth from Sonix and we will provide you with fun summer props, giant sunglasses, lays and sombrero hats, we can also add company branding to your photos and they are yours to keep!
Use your resources. If the company has a tight budget, don’t worry. There are plenty of affordable ways to have fun with the team. You could host an event at your local park and ask everyone to make some grub to bring with them – you can still hire in party games at a really reasonable price – have a look at our range of fun products and giant games you can choose from: http://www.zenevents.ie/brochures/family_fun_days_products.pdf
Strengthen team relationships while also having fun: Have a wacky sports day / Office Olympics and pit departments against each other for the ultimate employee fun day ! Have a look at our team building brochure for more ideas – http://www.zenevents.ie/brochures/sonix_team_building_brochure.pdf
Feel alive – get outside! : If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor or green area near the office, encourage staff to get away from their desks and get out into the sunshine for their breaks and during lunch. We all know the benefits that the sun provides for our health and well-being, so this is certain to boost productivity. Remind your staff to wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water during the summer months!
Planning a family fun day/summer party ? We are currently offering a 10% discount on all our hire equipment from now until the end of April, so ring us now for the best quote and use the code SUMMER2015 when booking! Our fun and unique events are a great way to reward, connect and motivate staff – boosting morale across the organisation; nurturing a more engaged and productive workforce; and aligning employees with the corporate culture and brand identity. They are also lots of fun ! For more info contact fiona@sonix.ie or call 087-738-2090