When you think about in the workplace, what comes to mind? No doubt most employees find themselves thinking about scheduling in a vacation, setting up OOO emails, and squeezing in completing as many assignments and projects as possible to avoid returning to a hefty workload.
However, in between the vacays are the actual full-length workdays. Now that the summer solstice has passed, the dog days of summer can feel especially slow paced. What can employers do to perk up their team and give them the extra motivation they need to succeed?
Here are some of our favorite ways to incentivize employees that virtually any office, regardless of budget or size, can partake in.
1. Summer Fridays or early out days
The early out trend is being embraced in the workplace now more than ever before. In a recent article on The Washington Post, it was reported that 42% of companies now implement early dismissal on Fridays during the summer months. If you’re not sure that your business has the ability to make that offering every Friday, try to offer flexible scheduling days throughout the week or days where employees can work longer hours for a chance to get Monday or Friday off.
2. Hold a meeting outside
Ready to shake up your typical meeting routine? Take your team on a walking meeting or head outside to hold a meeting in a nearby shady park. Quick pro tip though — be mindful of heat advisory warnings and make sure the meetings themselves don’t run too long either.
3. Buy coffee for the office
Start the day off on the right foot by splurging on coffee and breakfast treats for the team. Pick up a coffee tote from Starbucks and grab an assortment of breakfast items, like bagels and doughnuts, which are sure to get everyone ready for the day ahead.
4. Encourage dressing down
In a recent OfficeTeam survey, it was revealed that 29% of employees crave a relaxed dress code this summer. If your business doesn’t already have a lax dress code, offer the team the ability to do casual Fridays or embrace a more casual dress code throughout the week for the summer months.
5. Get a mid-day stretch or yoga lesson going
Avoid the afternoon slump by encouraging your team to get up, walk around, and stretch. If you have a member on the team who practices yoga and would be willing to teach everyone some simple exercises, offer to host in-house yoga classes for all levels.
6. Host a talent show
I have actually been doing these for several months now and they’re a huge highlight in the office. On a biweekly basis, host a talent show starring your team members as they show off their performance talents like singing, hula hooping, or double dutch. Encourage everyone to get involved and be creative and share the events via social media (like Facebook Live) so fans of your brand can get a glimpse at how your business does summer in the office.