However good a job your office decorator or office fitout company did, a recent Harvard Business Review article showed that summertime (or sunnier weather) has a negative impact on productivity compared to winter.
It pointed to a number of things employers can do to mitigate the drop in performance, from an office fit out that delivers better thermocomfort to seasonal changes in management practices and adjustments to employee benefits. Here’s a rundown of what’s important.
However good a job your office decorator or office fit out company did, a recent Harvard Business Review article showed that summertime (or sunnier weather) has a negative impact on productivity compared to winter.
It pointed to a number of things employers can do to mitigate the drop in performance, from an office fit out that delivers better thermocomfort to seasonal changes in management practices and adjustments to employee benefits. Here’s a rundown of what’s important.
1. Make people ‘thermocomfortable’
One of the biggest employee experience issues – everywhere – is air conditioning. To find the right level of thermocomfort, they need the right temperature, the right air inflow and the right place to sit.
Remember, air conditioning is more than simply a cooling mechanism. It takes up to 23 minutes to really immerse yourself in a task. So whether you’re too hot or cold, if your focus is constantly shifting from temperature to task, productivity drops substantially.
The solution? First, if you have smart air conditioning, don’t open the windows: this lets warm air in and warms up the space. Then, look at your office floor plan. If it was designed by a professional workspace company and you’ve since moved tables, chairs or other furniture, some people might be sitting right under a unit and suffering from the air blowing down on them.
Lastly, find out what temperature people prefer. If your system allows, help them set up personalised configurations. Otherwise, perhaps consider giving people the freedom to move to different desks.
2. Help people make the most of the great weather
It’s summertime. It’s warm. And after lunch, people might naturally think about what to do after work – and yearn to leave the office a bit sooner. So build morale by letting them.
Try to schedule important meetings and focus time in the mornings to combat the post-lunch haze. Then send out a memo saying that on particularly hot days, as long as urgent tasks are completed, people can leave a bit earlier. Does it really matter if they do less time-sensitive tasks in the evening?
3. Turn summertime into ‘team building time’
Since people are less productive in summer, use the time efficiently by running all your core team building events during this season.
People will be able to make the most of the lighter evenings to network. This is because our circadian rhythm causes us to be less tired the longer we’re exposed to daylight (though we’re less productive…).
So channel this energy to strengthen relationships in teams. Plus, as a whole, the events may have a greater impact for the business than if people spend time unproductively in the office.
4. Offer benefits that make summer special
Just 30 minutes of active daily movement can increase your employees’ health and productivity. At HB Reavis, our More service provides all our tenants with opportunities to play sport, take part in yoga classes, join running clubs or visit physio and massage therapists – all during their working day.
These activities can raise the serotonin levels in your brain. The more serotonin you have, the happier you are. And the happier you are… well, do you think you’re more productive when you’re happy or sad?
5. Create a holiday resource plan
Virtually everyone loves a summer holiday, meaning it’s a difficult time of year to plan meetings, get approvals and make decisions.
Our tip is to create a company-wide holiday calendar. Don’t worry if you don’t have one – do it now and you’ll soon see the benefits as people plan meetings and projects around colleagues’ time off.
To be even more forward-thinking, face up to the fact that people will go on holiday and might not finish tasks on time. Discuss it, prepare for it and set out a strategy that gets everyone where they (eventually) need to be.
6. Provide showers to go with the sun
Many offices now have their own showers. Usually, they’re for the people who cycle in or work out before, during or after work.
But why should it stop there? If someone’s seeing a client late in the afternoon after a busy morning putting a report together, wouldn’t they be fresher after a shower? Besides basic hygiene, it can re-focus the mind.
And if you don’t have a shower – why not consider turning an unused corner of the office into one? It could mean all the difference for a tricky meeting.
About the authors
Knowledge for this article was provided by Jana Oravcova and the article was written by Christopher Svitok.
