Keeping employee morale up can be a tough job in the summertime. It’s warm and sunny outside, and many employees go on vacation, so those employees who are showing up to the office every day can feel like they’re missing out. What can you do to keep spirits—and productivity—high during the summer months?

Here are six ways you can bring a summery, warm weather feel to the office without sacrificing the work that has to be done”

  • Relax your dress code, if you have one, one day a week. Allowing employees to wear shorts and sandals on Mondays, for example, will help them ease back into the workweek in comfort. Be sure to have guidelines in place and give employees plenty of warning if dress-down day has to be canceled one week, say if a client will be visiting.
  • Encourage your employees to plant and tend a garden or herb bed. One of the best parts about summer is being able to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. Having your employees grow their own will give them an excuse to get outside at least a couple of times a day and also help them to eat healthier!
  • Throw a communal lunch, once a week, preferably outdoors. If there is an area outside your building where employees can sit on a lawn, suggest they bring blankets or lawn chairs for a picnic lunch. Or take everyone to a restaurant that has outdoor seating. Most people will appreciate the chance to be outdoors for at least a while.
  • Make the time to play games and have fun. Everybody can use a break to recharge during the work day. Maybe set up a board game center or a ping pong table, or set up a volleyball net behind your building if possible.
  • Organize employee teams for local fundraising walks or runs, or start an employee softball team and participate in a local league.
  • If at all feasible, try implementing summer hours— a compressed workweek, where various days are shortened; a four-day week; or one half-day a week. Employees will appreciate having a little extra time with their friends and families.

Let us know if you implemented any of these ideas and how they worked! We’re always happy to hear about great places to work!

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