High temperatures, high humidity and high UV levels all create challenges for businesses when it comes to office working in the summer.
A study conducted by Charter using office attendance data from a company’s New York Office in 2023 has shown that office attendance drops in the summer months. In particular, August 2023 had the lowest average level of attendance out of any month at 41.6% of pre-pandemic attendance.
So, how can you encourage office use during summer? Here are some top tips to help.
5 Ways to Encourage Employees to Use the Office in Summer
1. Create a Cool Environment
First and foremost, you must ensure your office is cool for your employees. After a commute in the warm weather on public transport, cycling or walking, they may arrive at the office overheated. Make sure your air conditioning system is in good working condition or invest in fans to circulate cool air throughout the space.
By creating a space that may possibly be cooler than their homes, you will encourage your team to want to work in a more comfortable temperature during the hotter months. If you’re worried about energy costs, you can align your air conditioning systems with air quality and occupancy data collected by our sensors.
Another way to make sure they’re comfortable is by providing refreshments so they stay hydrated. From water coolers and ice lollies to fresh fruit and veg, you can keep your employees cool and motivated.
2. Enhance Your Outdoor Space
As well as ensuring your indoor spaces are cool and comfortable, it’s a good idea to make sure your outdoor areas are too. By creating shaded areas outside and providing outdoor seating, you can create more opportunities to hold meetings, 1-2-1’s and breaks so your team can be productive whilst enjoying the weather.
The sunny conditions can be a distraction for many employees, so encouraging individuals to take breaks outside can prove to be beneficial. It gives them the chance to have a mental reset and return to their tasks with more focus and, therefore, more efficient.
3. Organise More Social Events
The dry, sunny weather is a great opportunity to hold more social events for your team which also give employees more reason to return to the office. With your improved outdoor space, you can encourage al fresco group lunches which could result in meaningful interactions, conversations and team building.
Outside of work, you could organise after work drinks at a local pub, a picnic in the park, find local events to go to and more. Although these events aren’t mandatory, it still gives employees more reason to come into the office to take part in these extracurricular activities.
4. Allow Casual Office Attire
A flexible, seasonal dress code can also encourage office use during the summer months. By relaxing the usual attire and allowing lightweight, breathable clothing that is still suitable for the workplace, your employees will feel comfortable in the heat and more inclined to come into the office.
5. Implement Summer Hours
Flexibility with working hours as well as the dress code will also be greatly appreciated by your team. By allowing them to shift their start times earlier or finish times later, your employees will be able to avoid the hottest parts of the day and therefore feel more inclined to come into the office.
It also gives them chance to adjust their schedules to their lifestyle, whether this be working around childcare or social events during the summer. Not only will this benefit your employees, but it will make them feel more valued and trusted which boosts morale.
If you’re worried about how flexible working hours will impact your office space, Space Management from Freespace takes individual preferences together with organizational and departmental parameters to create your ideal hybrid working strategy. Not only can you maximize space efficiency, but you can enhance the in-office experience.
By following these tips and tricks for the summer months and utilizing Freespace tools, you can make sure your team beats the summer slump and happily returns to the office. Contact us today to see how we can help you.
