Keeping Your Office Momentum during Summer Holiday Season

Whether the British weather across Surrey and Hampshire is kind or not, office momentum can take a dip over the month of August. Why is this? Staff will be managing school holidays and taking holidays. Often, there is limited or no handover time between key colleagues. While all this is going on, managers and business leaders need to keep productivity high. Achieving this while staffing levels drop and attention is inclined to wander is no mean feat.

So this summer, is your office set up for an energised month despite the challenges?

Embrace Routine Change

Don’t try to fight the change in routine that August unavoidably causes. Instead, embrace it! Here lies an opportunity for employees to challenge themselves and expand their scope. When progression and stimulation lie at the heart of staff satisfaction, you can use August to benefit both the business and individuals.

Holiday Scheduling

This part of managing Summer is long in the planning. When staff are booking their holidays, careful scheduling is key. It’s not just about ensuring that key decision-makers aren’t all away, at the same time, though. Sometimes this is unavoidable for small businesses or smaller offices. So plan in different ways by scheduling workflow.

Being Prepared

Your office, large or small, knows that the Summer is coming. Businesses vary in their flow of work over August. Where some industries grind almost to a halt, others continue apace. So predicting your flow of work is key in ensuring that your office is prepared for the Summer. Of course, all this begins as early as possible. Maybe even a year ahead! So it’s probably time to start thinking about next Summer and what preparatory measures you can put into place.

Building Maintenance

While the building is quieter, this can be a great time to schedule any required maintenance to the office. This may be decorative or structural. It’s important to the health of a building that it is kept maintained. For landlords, your investment benefits from care and attention. For tenants, it’s important not to neglect your obligations to the internal space. So, while fewer people are using the space, this time is less intrusive to undertake maintenance.

Make the Most of the Weather

Perhaps your office HQ building needs external work. The job is likely to be completed quicker in the comparatively dryer month of August. Even a mediocre British Summer will see longer, warmer days. So use the benefits of this month! The (hopefully) pleasant weather also gives an opportunity to schedule social events. Perhaps a weekly social outside, or flexi-hours to allow the staff who are in the office to get some much needed vitamin D!

Encourage Collaboration

Why not use the Summer to encourage departments to assess their processes collaboratively? If the workflow is quieter, managers can take the opportunity to step back and think about whether any operations changes are required. Take inspiration from a relaxed Summer vibe to encourage honest feedback and ideas from within the team.

Moving Office

To move office in the Summer or not? It can be uncomfortable if hot, but with fewer staff to disrupt and potentially quieter business, it’s a popular season. Perhaps your business has outgrown its current space. Or you may need to relocate to somewhere well connected like Surrey or Hampshire. Getting the move done in August leaves you freshly in your new space to approach the lead up to Christmas with momentum.

August can provide challenges for offices large and small. However, you can turn these challenges into business benefits with keen planning and a collaborative attitude. For your next great office space, give us a call at Curchod & Co.

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