There’s something about summer that can shorten attention spans and lower energy. Work might slow and quality could drop. The risk of losing productivity to hot weather is not limited to North America’s July-through-August summer. Although when it arrives might differ, everyone gets some form of the season. And we’re all getting more of it. According to a new climate study, since 1979 global heat waves are 67% more frequent with higher temperatures than 40 years ago. Even the areas under heat domes are growing.
But there are lots of actionable ideas for workplace leaders to beat the summer slump whenever it arrives on the calendar, improving the employee experience and boosting productivity.
Take control of indoor temps
It’s so hot outside, the natural reaction is to turn up the office air conditioning. But this could be doing more harm than good. According to a study by Cornell University, temperature plays an important role in employee productivity. It’s a very specific data point, but it illustrates the direct effect temperature has on people. At 68 F, workers had a 25% error rate in typing. But at 77 F, it fell to only 10%. The takeaway isn’t to turn your office into a sauna. Remember, you wouldn’t hit a 0% error rate at 93 F, but going easy on the air conditioning can improve the amount and the quality of office output.
Facility and workplace leaders should look at controlling office temperatures and humidity levels in the summer as one part of a larger, year-round program to dial in the best climate control conditions. Research into the perfect office temperature has consistently shown the challenges of finding one that works for everyone. Preferences are personal, and there are some studies that even suggest gender-based differences. But there is value in workplaces working toward a solid compromise. Even just the process of asking for input helps employees feel empowered, and that supports a positive employee experience.
Controlling temperatures across facilities also plays an important part in meeting sustainability goals. Governments around the world are introducing stricter limits and tighter reporting requirements. The U.S. government wants a “clean energy economy,” with net-zero emissions economy by 2050, and the European Union’s The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive aims to help “investors, civil society organizations, consumers and other stakeholders to evaluate the sustainability performance of companies, as part of the European green deal.”
Implement “Wednesday is the new Friday” and other flexible work models
When productivity is down and work is backlogged, offering employees an additional day off can seem counterintuitive. It feels like you need them at work more, not less. But giving some time off can make employees more productive all the rest of the time they’re working. An extra-long weekend might be exactly what employees need to rest and recharge, especially if it falls on a Friday companies don’t have off. Now, instead of your staff fighting through holiday traffic to scramble for the last spots on the beach, they can avoid the crowds and have all the best places all to themselves.
Traditionally, companies used to think along binary lines. People were in the office at their desks working, or they weren’t working at all. Now, there’s a lot of productivity you can find in the spaces in between. Instead of giving them a Friday off, you can make it a work-from-home day. Another option is the classic half-day Friday, where everyone works until lunch before starting the weekend early.
What many companies discovered, though, is that employees were using those free Friday afternoons for quiet catch-up. People liked having a block of time when no one would disturb them because no one knew they were there. No calls. No meetings. It was a perfect time to focus on finishing any of the week’s work and getting everything prepped for the coming Monday. Now many have adopted policies to safeguard employees’ focus time. Often, it’s as simple as telling people to stop scheduling meetings on Fridays.
And all those efforts don’t have to be Friday focused, either. Many companies are trying to find ways to flatten the midweek mountain, where the office is busy Tuesdays through Thursdays but doesn’t see much traffic Mondays and Tuesdays. If you give a couple of Wednesdays off in the summer, people can use the day to relax or run errands, with the added benefit for the company of spreading out when people schedule time to connect and collaborate with coworkers in the office.
Get employees moving to new spaces
When the temperature rises, employee motivation can dip. Sitting in the same spot all day only makes it worse. But there are many ways to get employees moving, all of them best supported with the right workplace tech. A change in scenery can make a world of difference.
Desk booking and room reservations for connection and collaboration
Regardless of the season, Eptura’s proprietary research on worktech trends says more employees are coming into the office to connect and collaborate with coworkers. To help them make the most of their time onsite, facility and workplace leaders can implement worktech that streamlines the process of booking desks and reserving rooms. Employees can quickly access the app to see what’s available and where everyone else is already scheduled to be before reserving a spot for themselves.
And it doesn’t always have to be just to see and work with coworkers. There are many reasons for wanting to work in the office over at home. For some, it’s hard to focus at home with all the distractions, from curious kids to noisy neighbors. For others, it’s as simple as the office having better coffee, more spots with natural lighting, and nicer standing desks or more comfortable chairs.
Moving doesn’t have to be limited to choosing between desks and meeting rooms. Consider offering a few activities to mix up the day. For example, host a short afternoon yoga session to combat the post-lunch energy crash. Anything that gets people up and moving — even briefly — helps them mentally and physically reset.
Summer offers so many distractions, so it’s no surprise your teams might be a little less efficient. But with some creative policy improvements and the right workplace software to implement them, you can overcome the summertime slumps to deliver an employee experience that improves focus and motivation to boost the bottom line.
By Gabi Bellairs-Lombard
Gabi is a London-based writer with 8 years of experience in copywriting and strategy across various verticals. She has been immersed in tech for two years, previously writing for a fintech company. Her specialities lie in long- and short-form writing, SEO writing and strategy, and market research. In her current role at Eptura, she covers the latest worktech and workplace experience trends.
