Summer time in the USA can imply a number of various things— tickets to a ballgame, journeys to the seashore (or down the shore, in the event you’re from the Philadelphia space like this author is,) or simply time away from the each day grind of labor to spend with household and pals. However with all these deliberate actions and holidays, generally engagement across the digital or in-person workplace may be flagging.
This begs the query — how will you hold staff motivated when the tempo of enterprise slows?
That’s the place a powerful communications division turns out to be useful. By sharing messages that tackle each the wants and needs of staff, you possibly can hold motivation up through the canine days of summer season, and work to enhance retention and general tradition too.
A key time for skilled improvement
Even when summer season sees a lull in enterprise, with purchasers and coworkers taking well-earned trip time, it doesn’t imply that it might probably’t be a chance for workers to be taught one thing new to upskill their careers.
Dr. Kerry O’Grady, affiliate professor of public relations and company communications and PR advisor, mentioned that these slower durations might be a superb alternative for management to construct in time to put money into their staff.
“Giving staff the liberty to construct their talent units is so empowering,” she mentioned. “It additionally helps staff know that they’re valued and that their talent set is effective to the group.”
Summer time can even present a well timed alternative for communications to reevaluate their channels to succeed in out about upskilling choices. and in addition present staff with a second to voice the areas the place they’d prefer to construct their talent units.
“Summer time is a superb time to make the most of inside comms platforms to facilitate data sharing, workforce updates, and social interactions,” mentioned Mira Adam, affiliate director of communications on the Georgetown College McDonough College of Enterprise.” Likewise, creating channels for workers to speak their concepts and actively take heed to their issues might help contribute positively to engagement,”
Ideas for the sluggish instances
If issues decelerate a bit through the summer season at your group, use it as a chance to reassess the challenges you’re up in opposition to as a communications division. It can be a superb time for ideation round options to these points.
“Utilizing these sorts of instances to arrange and work by way of challenges which have offered themselves in different components of the 12 months could be actually useful to your general technique,” O’Grady mentioned. “By actually drilling down and understanding what the basis issues may be in our communications, we are able to work to make issues higher for the entire group.”
O’Grady added that instances just like the summer season are additionally a super alternative to extend collaboration with different departments throughout the group to get a really feel for a way they function and the way communications might help. This could in flip foster understanding between staff for an elevated sense of camaraderie and higher morale.
“Discuss with different components of the group,” she mentioned. “Taking the time to take a seat with individuals who would possibly work in advertising or finance to get a greater sense of how all the system capabilities is a good way to spend slower instances that may come up.”
Constructive reinforcement
Let’s face it, comms individuals are usually a busy bunch. However slower instances of the 12 months additionally present a chance to current accolades and reward to staff which go a great distance towards fostering a constructive tradition.
Rachael Matthews, vp of company communications at Group 1001, mentioned that even seemingly small recognition is usually a enormous step in direction of constructive tradition constructing.
“Generally we could be so heads down in our work and we’d marvel if what we’re doing is even making a distinction,” Matthews mentioned. “However even when it’s a small shout-out from the CEO or different recognition from management, these gestures can reinforce simply how vital staff are to all the operation.”
Easy actions like asking how an worker is doing over lunch or creating house for them to share their needs for his or her future careers can slot in rather well throughout a summer season schedule and assist foster good morale.
“Leaders ought to take this time to say thanks and make their staff really feel valued and appreciated, “O’Grady mentioned.. “It’s so vital for leaders to spend any potential downtime on the individuals who do the each day work to foster future progress — now could be the time to make individuals really feel indispensable and a part of one thing bigger.”
Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports activities, a superb pint and ’90s trivia night time.
