Avoiding The Summer Slumps
How to keep employees on task and on target during summer time
Posted on 07-10-2018, Read Time: Min
Share:
Summer is now upon us. Schools are on break, beaches are full. Time for fun in the sun and some relaxation! Let’s face it, other than some heat, there’s not much to complain about during summer. Unless you’re charged with running a business. Summer can get in the way of productivity. For most companies, summertime usually creates a series of non-productive issues: vacation time here and there for a large number of employees, scheduling adjustments around these absences, general lethargy in an employee base as time seems to slow and daylight starts early and lasts well into the evenings, and the list goes on. The dog days can create many issues for companies.
So what can business leaders and managers do to make sure the heat of summer doesn’t cool off the workplace? As a CEO, I think back on my mentors when I’m faced with any issue. What would the leaders I learned the most from in my career do? In the case of the summertime blues, it seems motivation is the key to curing a slide in productivity. When I think about my mentors who motivated me the most, I think about my dad. My father, Glenn Patterson, built a multi-billion dollar company from scratch. Like all business leaders, he had his strengths and weaknesses. One strength was a unique talent to motivate people to achieve their best. He knew how to fire people up when he felt they were coasting below their potential. If you need to charge up the workplace this summer, here are four easy things my old man used to motivate people.
- Set a special summer goal, and it’s reward! - Setting a special summertime business goal can be fun for staff and it can keep the attention on business instead of someone’s upcoming vacation. My dad used to recognize when the troops were slacking some. So, he would set a bogey or target, and challenge the group (or individual) to hit the target by a certain time frame. Likewise, he never did this without a carrot of some kind. Set a goal for the team to reach by summer’s end and update the progress on the goal regularly so everyone stays engaged. Staff returning from vacations will want to know how things have gone while they were out: how’s the summertime goal going?! Don’t forget the carrot! Maybe it’s a special lunch outing or treat. Maybe an office party. Monetary rewards are always motivating, but there are cheaper rewards that have the same effect.
- Set the example – One way dad always fired up the employees was to set the example. He would take this to excessive levels when trying to prove a point or specifically motivate others. If a leader displays the summer funk, you can surely expect the rest of their team to follow suit. Making sure that all members of the team see your drive and dedication to the company during the summer is great way to keep everyone’s focus. Maybe you’re a little more punctual than usual, maybe you inquire about projects and progress more than normal. Don’t forget to dress for work; how you dress speaks volumes about your expectations. Just find ways to show your extra level of engagement. It will be contagious, even in the summertime.
- Set up some “NUF” – That is fun spelled backwards. Most places I’ve worked during my career usually plan some special events around the holidays. The company I run today is no different. These can be fun but they can also be very distracting; creating their own amount of non-productive time. One characteristic these events have in common is that employees usually don’t like to miss them. Dad used to host cookouts after hours that employees really enjoyed. If summer attendance is becoming a problem, a well-planned and non-distracting event or series of events can be useful. This could be a series if Friday “lunch-and-learns” with some interesting speakers (internal or external). It might be a weekly game night that begins immediately after business hours on summer Thursdays (wraps up in an hour or so). A “lunch movie day” once a week during summer is usually a hit. An extra 20 or 30 minute break once a week during summer can be used for relaxation/meditation, treats/desserts or just plain free time. As long as the “NUF” is something employees look forward to, and it doesn’t create additional non-productive time, it will have the desired effect.
Summer is my favorite time of year, but as a business leader, I’m usually on the lookout for summer to cause the company unexpected productivity problems. Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid the summer slumps in the workplace. Finding one or two ways that are right for your organization is the trick. I promise you’ll try a few that go over like lead balloons before you find one or two that are hits with the team. Once you have those successes, the team will be asking for more the following year. Enjoy your summer!
Author Bio
| T.M. “Roe” Patterson is a 23-year industry veteran in the oil and gas services business. He is the president and chief executive officer of Basic Energy Services (Basic). Roe also speaks around the country about his own personal business experiences and the practical approach to leadership that his father embraced. His new book, Crude Blessings: The Amazing Life Story of Glenn Patterson American Oilman is his first. Connect T.M. “Roe” Patterson |
Error: No such template "/CustomCode/topleader/category"!
