Posted 17 July 2014 12:00 AM by Human Resources
The days are longer, the sun is shining, and the weather seems perfect. Who wants to be sitting in an office all day when the summer season rolls around?
Although it might not be employees' first choice of where they want to be spending their time during the warm weather of the summer, employers and managers can use some key management designs to make sure they keep their employees engaged and motivated during these distracting work times. See below for our employee engagement suggestions, we hope you enjoy this employee engagement blog post!
Here are a few tips and ideas to get your employees back on track and improve productivity during the summer:
- Encourage employees to take vacation time. It might sound counterproductive, however, employees need the time to relax and rejuvenate. This gives employees a chance to get away from the office to enjoy the weather and to regain some energy. While discouraging employees from taking this time away from work might keep them in the office more frequently, it won't necessarily make them more productive. Without some time away from work, employees will feel drained and exhausted. This is why it's important to allow them the time to relieve their stress and to feel freshly prepared to come back into to work ready to tackle the day.
- Offer training and educational sessions for employees. Providing platforms for employees to explore career development can encourage them to become more excited about their jobs. It can also give them the chance to learn about other positions within the company and to discover new skills and services they might be interested in. Fleetmatics has recently started a "Fleetmatics Academy" program focused solely on professional development opportunities for their employees. This program provides employees the ability to learn about different topics and subject matters that they have expressed interest in.
- Recognize and reward employees who deserve it. Showing both office and field employees that you notice the extra effort they're putting into their work can help employees feel appreciated. When employees know that they're hard work is being acknowledged, they'll feel more engaged in their work. Receiving praises and rewards will in turn motivate employees to put in the additional energy that's needed in order to raise their productivity levels in the summer.
- Be positive and open to new ideas. Keeping the environment at work fun and optimistic will persuade employees to come into work each day. Perhaps offer flexible summer hours on Fridays to give employees the chance to get away to enjoy the weather. If employees know that you are willing to give them that extra free time if they get their work done, they will be much more engaged and productive during their time spent in the office.
Summer is only here for a few months so we all should be enjoying the longer days and warmer weather while we have the chance! Show your employees that they are appreciated and that you understand the importance of work-life balance especially during the summer. Giving them the opportunity to take a break from their stressful work days to recuperate can really boost employee morale and drive employees to be engaged for the long haul.
HOw to reward and recognize office and field employees
Curious how else Fleetmatics can help your business? Request a trial of our field service software or a demo of our gps fleet management software today!
