As summer wears on, you may notice a trend around the workplace. The workers you hired at the outset of the season are not as eager as they were when they first started. Maybe bad habits, such as taking too long on break or arriving late for shifts, have crept into their work routines.
Their attitudes may have shifted as well. Maybe they just don’t seem to have the energy they did a couple of months ago. Their productivity has been dropping, and you’ve been wondering what to do about it.
How can you keep productivity high among summer employees?
There are many ways to keep your people motivated through the summer months, including offering rewards, recognizing their efforts, offering feedback, and more.
1. Summer Employees Want Feedback
How often do you offer any of your employees feedback? If the answer is once or twice a year, you may want to rethink this.
Today’s employees want feedback on a more regular basis. In fact, most employees want to hear from you about how they’re doing on a daily basis.
While you may think of this as a chore, think instead about how it could benefit productivity. Maybe your summer workers aren’t sure they’re doing the right tasks. Maybe they’re struggling to complete a task. By offering them feedback on their work, you help them gain confidence and improve in areas where they haven’t been performing as well.
2. Recognize Hard Work
Another thing your employees crave is recognition. This is especially true of your summer workers. They may have started off the season with their sleeves rolled up, but now their productivity is falling.
If they worked very hard for the month or so of their employment term and you said nothing, they may feel hard work doesn’t matter. If you don’t care, why should they? Employees become demotivated if they feel their hard work doesn’t matter or goes unnoticed.
Show your summer employees you do notice and that you do care by recognizing their efforts. Recognition can be as simple as sending them a “thank you” for their hard work at the end of a shift or the end of the week. You might also offer a recognition award, such as “employee of the month.”
3. Offer Rewards to Summer Workers
Your summer employees may not be eligible for raises or rewards programs you have in place for your permanent staff. You should still try to couple recognition with rewards. Maybe the employee of the month distinction comes with a gift card or movie tickets.
A reward can also be something like an extra break or paid time off. Ask yourself what you can offer. If they feel they’re working towards something, they may be more motivated to keep their productivity high.
You can also have appreciation days. Maybe you can invite your summer workers to take part in a barbecue or a staff lunch to show them you appreciate the work they do.
4. Offer Learning Opportunities
You may not think about investing in your summer workers. Chances are they’re leaving at the end of August or the beginning of September, so why should you offer them learning opportunities?
Sometimes, learning opportunities can lead to more motivation for employees. If you want to keep productivity high, think about enrolling your summer workers in a short course or a one day workshop.
Learning something new can motivate people, and it may also teach your employees a valuable skill they can apply to their work. With this skill in hand, they can then raise their productivity.
Keeping your summer employees motivated and productive can be quite simple. Each one of these tips is effective on its own. Taken together, you have a sure-fire plan to keep everyone motivated throughout the summer months.
