As the temperatures outside steadily climb, it’s time to think of your employees and their comfort levels during the work week. The kids are out of school, the weather is heating up, and the neighborhood pull is roaring. This can only mean one thing; summer’s here in full force and chances are your employees have caught the summer fever. As a manager, it’s your job to help keep employees motivated and focused on work when summer is calling their name. Despite the beautiful, and sometimes hot, weather, there are ways to keep your employees on track, and it mostly has to do with their comfort levels.
Keep the office cool
Employees tend to be more efficient when the temperature is comfortable, so keep the office thermostat set lower during the summer. Hire extra air conditioning units or fans if necessary. It’s nearly impossible for employees to stay focused when they’re sweating to death from the heat. Making sure your staff is comfortable will help motivate them. Relax a strict dress code, and consider allowing employees to dress in lighter, casual clothes when the weather is scorching.
Flexible work hours
Getting to work on time can be stressful, especially for those who want to bike or walk to work. If your work business’s workload allows for it, offer summer hours. Think about letting your employees come in to work early and leave a little earlier. Or start later in the day, so that your staff can enjoy the sunshine in the morning. Some offices even consider letting employees work an hour longer Monday thru Thursday and then take a half day on summer Fridays. Getting a Friday afternoon off every week or every other week is a major boost to office morale. Either way, offering alternative hours in the summer is a no cost way to help improve the working environment making employees more productive.
Provide locker and storage areas
During the hot summer months, many employees opt to bring a set of clothes to change into once they get to work. Office properties and their tenants can make things easier by setting aside a small area in the office to install lockers that employees can use to store clothes as well as towels and toiletries.
Install shower facilities for active commuters
For most employers, installing a shower in the office is contingent on the approval from the building’s property management company. However, with many newer buildings already providing shower facilities, many building managers are eager to stay up to date with the competition and are willing to consider adding new amenities. If showers in the building are not feasible, employers can provide a discounted membership to a nearby gym so employees can access shower facilities before work.
Implement a telework policy
Employers can eliminate a work trip altogether by allowing employees to telework on certain days during the summer. This could be beneficial especially on Code Red days, when it may be unsafe to bike or walk outside and air quality can be affected. Employers can also stagger telework days for different departments, so everyone is not out of the office at the same time.
Keep your employees comfortable, active, and safe this summer! These are just some of the ways your property or company can improve the office environment as well as commuting for employees.
