Work Doesn’t Have to be a Drag This Summer – Make it Fun! - American Society of Employers - Heather Nezich

Work Doesn’t Have to be a Drag This Summer – Make it Fun!

School might be letting out soon, but most workplaces continue throughout the season with no break.  With summers being so short here in Michigan, some employers offer special, summer-only perks to add some fun over the summer.

One popular perk offered by many organizations is an alternative work schedule.  As reported in a 2016 EPTW article, options offered include:

·        Compressed work week.  Employees can work nine or ten hours Monday through Thursday and take a half or full day off on Friday.

·        One day off every other week.  Employees spread the extra eight hours of work they need to make up in the previous nine work days. Employees rotate which Friday they have off to ensure coverage.

·        Early closing on Friday or shortened work day (no extra hours to make up).

·        Change in core hours.  For example, instead of working 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., employees can come in at 6:30 a.m. and work until 3:00 p.m.

·        Telecommuting for part of the week.  This allows employees to start and end work earlier by eliminating commuting time.

Depending on the nature of the business, summer hours might not always be feasible.  But there are other creative ways to make work fun during Michigan’s short summer season:

·        Go on a field trip. Perhaps an outing to a Tigers game or a zoo.  Trips like these get employees out of the office and build team camaraderie.

·        Lunchtime barbeque.  Offer an outside version of a potluck lunch.

·        Ice cream Fridays.  This could be organization sponsored or have employees volunteer to host each Friday.

·        Community charity events. Summer can be the ideal time to get out of the office and clean up a local park or give back to your community. Employees, especially Millennials, appreciate employers who give back and enjoy being a part of it.

·        Team lemonade stand contests. Each week a different team sets up a lemonade stand in the office. Proceeds can go to the charity of their choice or put into an employee appreciation fund for future events. The team that raises the most money or has the best tasting lemonade wins, which could include the organization kicking in extra money for that team’s charity or project of choice.  Or perhaps each team members gets to pick a Friday to leave one hour early.

·        Alcohol free happy hours.  Instead of ice cream Fridays, perhaps offer Friday happy hours with virgin margaritas or strawberry daquiris.

·        Create a walking club.  Organize a lunchtime walking club.  The fresh air and exercise will rejuvenate employees.  The social aspect will create enhanced team bonding.

·        Extended lunch breaks.  Give employees a little extra time to enjoy the nice weather on their lunch breaks.  As long as department lunches are staggered, extending by even 15 minutes can boost productivity for the remainder of the day.

·        Unlimited days off.  This is a work trend that many organizations now offer throughout the year, but perhaps consider trying it only in summer months for starters.  Most organizations that offer unlimited time off say it is not abused, employees appreciate it, and employees work with their teammates to coordinate time off.

 

Many of these ideas work with even the smallest of budgets.  Employees will appreciate a little summertime fun in the office, and the pay off includes increased productivity and a better employee experience.

 

Sources: mikekerr.com, themuse.com, elitedaily.com, brandmakernews.com

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