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Ah, the glorious days of summer are here, and there’s a palpable difference in the air. Warmer weather, more daylight hours and a vacation vibe are creating a buzz around the office. For many organizations, the end of Q2 and much of Q3 are times when people have a harder time focusing on their work. Then there are the weeks-long getaways that employees tend to take during June, July and August.
The challenge for accounting and finance execs is to balance business needs with staff morale. How? The answer is summer perks. Let’s take a closer look.
Which benefits are in demand, and why
Our company, staffing firm Accountemps, recently asked more than 2,800 workers in the United States about what they want from their employer this summer. The majority (52%) said they’d love to have a flexible work arrangement, such as the ability to telecommute, determine their own schedule and work a compressed week. The second most popular perk was leaving early on Fridays (27%).
This makes perfect sense. Not only is summer a popular time for long weekends and longer vacations, but many parents are also juggling work commitments with a patchwork of childcare while their kids are out of school. With so much going on, finding work-life equilibrium can be particularly tricky at this time of year, and employees appreciate any additional flexibility they can get.
What perks companies are offering
When we asked senior managers which summer benefits their company offers (multiple responses were permitted), 54% said flexible work scheduling. That’s good because it aligns with what a majority of workers said they wanted most. But after that, the disconnect begins. The next most commonly offered perks were a relaxed dress code (53%) and social activities with teambuilding benefits, such as company picnics or potlucks (48%). These two choices hardly appeared on the radar among workers: just 11% and 10%, respectively.
How to boost morale — and retain staff — during the summer
The key to employee engagement is to fully embrace the season. Here are nine ways to boost morale and get the most out of your staff this summer.
1. Ask for their opinion. Rather than arbitrarily deciding which perks to offer, canvass your staff to find out which warm-weather benefits would really hit the spot. You won’t be able to please everyone, of course, but at least you’d be able to avoid offering perks no one really cares about. What’s more, soliciting their feedback is a great way to show employees you listen when they talk about their needs and preferences.
2. Set guidelines. The more you can establish boundaries and manage expectations, the more successful your summer perks program will be. Clarify when the benefits go into effect and the date they end. If telecommuting is an option, let people know how many days a week they can work outside the office as well as when everyone is expected to be in the office unless they’re on vacation. Avoid confusion, misunderstandings and hurt feelings with clear guidelines in writing.
3. Encourage time away. Vacations are more than a perk; they are a necessity for recharging hardworking employees’ batteries and preventing burnout. While you don’t want to micromanage your staff’s personal lives, try to make sure they are using their paid time off (PTO). Encourage them to get away, preferably for longer than just the occasional three-day weekend.
4. Plan for absences. You already know you need to ensure that members of your team stagger their time off so employees who stay behind can cover for the ones on vacation. But if you have a lean team or if there’s simply too much work to spread out to your remaining workers, consider bringing in a temporary accounting or finance specialist to fill in for a few weeks.
5. Add play into the workday. Summer is a good time for fun surprises. Perhaps hold a regular team meeting under a shady tree, or have a “walk and talk” in the park as a way to check in and give and hear feedback. Have a tropical-themed day, complete with a goofy Hawaiian shirt contest and a mocktail bar. For a cool break, you could have an ice cream truck park outside the office and invite everyone to choose a frozen treat — on the house.
6. Offer a new focus. With workloads and client demands lighter for most accounting and finance organizations during summer months, perhaps now would be a good time for two employees to swap jobs, cross train or take turns shadowing one another. You could also challenge your staff with a short-term project, such as brainstorming new product offerings or researching process automation tools. Besides providing a break from their day-to-day duties, having something new to focus on is an opportunity to develop new skills.
7. Get out and volunteer. Supporting the community where your team lives or works can be a real morale booster. Not only will they build skills that fall outside their normal financial role, but working together on a cause helps strengthen relations. Summer is a great time for teambuilding activities, whether it’s taking part in a charity race or putting up drywall with Habitat for Humanity.
8. Keep it cool. It might sound obvious, but the temperature of the office has a big impact on productivity. When the mercury rises, make sure your HVAC system keeps up. If necessary, bring in desk fans and dehumidifiers to maintain a comfortable work atmosphere. At the same time, don’t set the temperature too low: You don’t want staff to keep interrupting their work because they have to take frequent trips outside the building to warm up.
9. Lead by example. Unless you practice what you preach, staff may feel uneasy about enjoying all the summer perks you’ve instituted. So take your well-deserved vacation. Make use of flextime by not being the first one in and last one out. Work off-site every once in a while. Dress down a bit when you’re not meeting with clients.
When it comes to recruitment and retention, work-life balance is the holy grail. Giving employees more flexibility and fun during summer months doesn’t cost the company much but can go a long way toward keeping them happy and productive. In fact, you might find summer benefits so successful that you decide to implement them all year round.
Michael Steinitz is senior executive director for Professional Staffing Services at Robert Half and the global executive director of Accountemps.