Focus and productivity doesn’t have to go out the window as soon as the summer arrives. Motivating staff is a key role that managers play in the supervision of their employees and during the summer months, it can become much more vital to keep productivity high and business moving. This can be a serious challenge for Irish companies and we have compiled several pro-active employee motivation and engagement strategies businesses can implement in order to help keep people motivated during the summer.
Revisit Your Goals
Do you set quarterly goals in your organisation? If so, it’s time to meet to review your goals for the third quarter and make them a priority for your employees. On the other hand, if you don’t set quarterly goals, it’s a great time to look back over your other goals and see whether or not you’re on track to meet them. Furthermore, you are half of the way to the end of the year; are you on your way to your annual goals? Revisiting these goals is assured way to increase motivation and remind employees what they’re working toward.
Note What Employees Do Well
Your employees comprise one of your company’s most valuable assets, so it’s important to regularly let your employees know what they’re doing right. If you truly want to motivate your employees and show your appreciation, make a practice of identifying something that each one is doing well. Depending on the size of your organisation, you might not be able to identify every employee personally. If that’s the case, pass the assignment on to the heads of their departments and others who work with them on a regular basis. Employees are more motivated when it’s obvious that their work is being recognised.
Keep Them Interested
Employee morale can drop during the summer months and daily job tasks are less likely to be approached with the motivation they deserve. Here are a few suggestions to keep employees engaged:
- Let employees have time to work on specific work or industry-related projects of their choice.
- Encourage employees to choose projects in which they are interested.
- Give employees opportunities to pursue new training or to move up within the organisation.
- Offer challenges to encourage employees to achieve their best.
- Consider sponsoring a company night such as hosting a staff and family barbeque to give employees a break from the office.
Get to Know Your Team
Have you taken the time to really get to know your team? Different employees are motivated by different methods and as you get to know them, you’ll discover what really gets them moving and how to use that to increase their performance throughout the second half of the year. Look to the 4-Drive Model, based on research this model shows four underlying drives – the drive to Acquire & Achieve, to Bond & Belong, to be Challenged & Comprehend and to Define & Defend. This will help understand all the different levels that a manager can use to help engage the best with employees.
Flexible Schedules
Introducing a flexible work schedule can be a great incentive and a powerful way to show your employees that you care. Especially during the summer months when employees may have increased family commitments due to school holidays this change can improve employees’ work-life balance, allowing them to work more effectively and reduce stress. Incorporate a flexible schedule in your workplace by offering employees alternative start and stop times. For example, one employee may prefer to come in at 10 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m., while another may opt to come in at 7:30 a.m. and leave at 3: 30 p.m.
”It can be hard to remain motivated and engaged during the summer months, therefore it’s paramount to create a work environment where everyone wins”.
Taking steps to promote work-life balance, show your appreciation and motivate and reward employees with the tips listed above can help your team maintain productivity. At Lincoln Recruitment, our consultants regularly advise our clients on talent management and optimisation strategies. For further information contact us here or call us on +353 1 661 0444.
