4 Ways to Maintain Productivity This Summer – Valutrics

By Claudio Sorrentino, CEO of Body Details.

As a small company based in South Florida, we know what it’s like when summer rolls around. Being stuck inside when the beach is calling is almost enough to make you want to quit. School is out, the kids are home and your employees are aching for a vacation.

Let’s face it: When summer comes, being productive is probably the last thing on your team’s minds. For large corporations, a small decrease in productivity from a few employees likely won’t have any measurable effect. But for small businesses, even one or two employees not being as productive as they should be could be a major hit on your bottom line.

Whether you’re a small business owner in Miami, Florida or Miami, Ohio, here are four ways to maintain productivity this summer:

Honor Time-Off Requests

Nearly half of all Americans take some kind of summer vacation. Chances are, at least some of your employees contribute to this statistic. While it’s a challenge to have an employee on vacation for a few days, this break is absolutely vital to recharging and being more productive at work upon returning.

Make sure you honor time-off requests as often as possible. You may have to work with your employees to stagger these vacations — after all, having half the company gone one week simply won’t work — but everyone in your office deserves time away from their desk. Plus, honoring time-off requests shows you care about your employees. And it’s a lot easier to work for a boss you like, rather than one you hate.

Encourage Your Employees to Prioritize Their Tasks

One of the best ways to motivate your employees is to encourage them to complete an important task first thing in the morning. While the common go-to is checking email or social media, making progress (registration required) early in the day has been shown to boost positivity at work and, in return, boost productivity.

After that first big task is out of the way, encourage your employees to prioritize their to-do lists. This could work in conjunction with a company-wide to-do list. For instance, you may set a company-wide goal of bringing on 10 more clients this season. For your sales department, this may mean calling potential clients is first on the list, while maintaining current client relations is a (close) second. By having a prioritized to-do list, it is much easier to focus on one task at a time — and therefore be more productive.

Consider Alternate Work Arrangements

With the kids out of school, many working parents may struggle to figure out how to take care of them while they’re on the job, especially if they have younger children. For the lucky ones, family members can take care of the kids. For others, pricey daycare may be the only solution.

If your employees mainly do office work or other tasks that rely on being in front of a computer, there may be an alternative. Companies large and small across the country are incorporating telecommuting into their business tactics.

It’s been shown that allowing certain employees to ditch the daily commute has a hugely positive impact on happiness — and a happy employee is a productive one. Of course, you will still need to communicate your goals and expectations to ensure they aren’t sitting around watching Netflix all day. But if your company has never offered telecommuting, the summer is a perfect time to test it out.

Take a Real Vacation

If your own productivity is decreasing throughout the summer, there’s a good chance your employees will take notice and stop working as hard as well. The solution? Take a vacation yourself! And no, not one of those vacations where you sit in the shore house, working all day while your family is enjoying a day at the beach — a vacation should be a disconnect from the office.

Leave your most-trusted manager in charge. You don’t necessarily have to take a full week of vacation; studies have shown that short holidays can be just as beneficial as long ones. What is important, however, is that you end the vacation on a high note. Save a really fun activity for you or the family until the last day. When you do get back to the office, don’t stress too much about getting caught up immediately.

Remember, prioritize! These are just a few of the tactics we use to maintain productivity at Body Details. What are your tips to make sure your business is fruitful during the summer months?

Claudio Sorrentino is the CEO of Body Details, one of the nation’s fastest growing cosmetic laser service provider recognized by Inc 5000.