How to keep employees productive as summer approaches.

As many business owners know, summer is oftentimes the period of the year during which employees lose motivation and stop working with excellence. However, it’s important to note that there are many strategies you can implement to keep your staff members on track to optimized productivity. Here are five techniques you can use to keep employees productive as summer approaches:

1. Implement An Employee of the Month Program.

One of the best ways to keep your employees productive during the summer is by implementing an Employee of the Month program. These programs will keep your staff members motivated to operate in excellence by providing them with incentives. One of them is public recognition. Also note that in addition to awarding the winner with the public recognition that results from something like displaying their photo in a highly visible region of the office, you can also provide them with a monetary award!

2. Provide Opportunities For Job-Related Trainings And Workshops.

In addition to implementing an Employee of the Month program, make sure that you provide your staff members with opportunities to enroll in trainings and workshops. This strategy is effective for at least two reasons. First, it shows the employee that you are genuinely interested in helping them grow professionally. Studies indicate that employees who know that you are genuinely concerned about them will become more loyal to your business. This enhanced loyalty translates into enhanced productivity on the job. Also note that providing employees with opportunities to participate in job-related workshops that enhance their skill set will keep their minds focused on how to optimize performance in the commercial setting!

3. Hold Weekly Meetings.

One of the most effective ways to keep employees productive is by holding weekly meetings. This strategy works because it ensures that you are constantly interfacing with your staff members regarding company goals and how they are to be accomplished. Meeting regularly also enables your employees to discuss any work-related issues that may be precluding them from operating at a high level of productivity. An example would be someone sharing that one of the printers is always breaking down and needs to be replaced. In short, having weekly meetings will help you and your employees remain on the same page regarding what needs to be done to keep the company going and growing throughout the summer season.

Keep in mind that simply holding weekly meetings is not enough to see substantive results with this strategy. Your meetings need to be absolutely incredible. This means that you need to implement techniques that will get your employees actively engaged in your presentations, discussions, etc. One great and relatively simple way to make this happen is through the use of PowerPoint presentations. The visually engaging slides can prevent employees from nodding off while you’re disseminating important information.

Another great strategy you can implement to make your meetings more effective is including employee questionnaires and feedback forms. These documents will keep staff members thinking about your company by posing questions about the meeting and/or things that have been transpiring in the commercial environment.

4. Hold Monthly One-On-One Meetings.

One final strategy you should implement to ensure that your employees don’t slack off during the summer is holding one-on-one meetings. These meetings can be even more effective than group meetings because it enables employees to really open up to you about anything and everything that is transpiring in their personal and/or professional life. This information will help you determine whether there’s anything you can do to help the employee grow and operate more effectively in the work setting. Note that there are oftentimes things that are out of the employee’s control that may be precluding her or him from operating optimally. An example would be a staff member who is being bullied by another employee. Once you become aware of this type of thing, you can take positive action which ensures that everyone in the office can operate more effectively.

5. Optimize Communication.

The more clearly and frequently you communicate with your employees, the more likely they are to recognize and respond to what you’re stating. With this reality in mind, make sure that you focus on implementing strategies that will help you interface with staff members regularly and effectively. One relatively simple way to make this happen is by sending the staff an e-mail each morning. This e-mail can include information regarding the primary goals for the day. Also make sure that the e-mail is friendly and personable so it doesn’t seem like you’re just barking out orders!

Don’t Delay: Start Preparing For Summer Today!

If you’re serious about avoiding a summer slump that results from a lack of employee productivity, now is the time to implement your strategic plan for ongoing growth and efficacy. You can utilize some or all of the strategies outlined above to ensure that your staff members operate in excellence throughout the summer season.