Author: Kristi Weierbach, Ph.d, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, FPC
HR/Payroll Advisory Services Manager
Summer brings thoughts of warm weather and enjoying vacation, but for the HR professional it also presents its own unique set of seasonal challenges.
Warm Up
The warm up is a critical component of any workout to loosen up muscles and slowly increase the heart rate in preparation for the workout. An HR workout requires preparation as well and begins with a little spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning checklist
Time to dust off the stacks of paper and to-do items you have been accumulating on your desk or in your email inbox, and create an action item list. Start by identifying key categories such as filing, small tasks, projects, policies/procedures etc. Categories could also be focused around HR functions such as recruiting, compensation/benefits, training, etc. After identifying the key categories, begin to organize your outstanding tasks or initiatives. Keep in mind whether or not the action items can be delegated to someone else, in a divide and conquer approach. Two items that should be included in the action item list include revisiting the policies on summer dress code and work schedules.
Summer Dress Code policy
Summer is a great time to provide employees with low-cost rewards such as a relaxed dress code. This is a no cost way of allowing employees to enjoy more comfortable attire during the dog days of summer. Companies can take a conservative approach by allowing jeans and sandals every day to a more liberal approach by allowing khaki shorts and flip-flops. While a relaxed dress code may not appeal to the entire workforce, it could be the perfect way to reward a large group of employees.
Summer Work Schedules
Another low-cost reward that companies can offer is a flexible work schedule. This may be dependent on whether or not it is a busy time of year; however, a little flexibility could go a long way. A flexible summer work schedule could include employees starting work earlier in the day so they can leave earlier to attend a child’s baseball or softball game. Another approach would be to allow employees to work four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days, with employees working together to ensure there is always coverage during normal business hours. Who wouldn’t want a three day weekend every week?
Workout
Now that your spring cleaning action item list is created and you have reviewed your summer policies, it is time to start the workout. If summer doesn’t provide you with more opportunity to tackle some of the outstanding items, you may have to do this activity over the winter months. Assuming you have some available time, prepare a schedule for completing the spring cleaning action items. This will enable you to get everything completed, and provide you with measurable results. If you are driven by tasks, then each day you will feel a sense of accomplishment by knowing you are making progress. Schedule regular check-ins to hold everyone accountable, and to celebrate the wins. A significant amount of employees will take their vacation in the summer months, potentially making the next couple of months challenging. Approach employee vacations differently this year by actively working with them to properly prepare for vacation. This will reduce the amount of stress employees feel while being out of the office, hopefully reducing the pile of work they have to return to. Encourage employees to take and share pictures from their vacations. This provides a great conversation piece in the work place, especially for employees who normally don’t work together. Summer may also be a great time to schedule professional development activities and classes for employees. Sometimes new learning activities can create excitement, enthusiasm, and a way to take a mini-vacation from normal job duties. Developmental activities provide a great playground for collaboration, creativity, and relationship building. Personal and professional development can come in many forms such as a lunch-and-learn session, a brainteaser, an offsite team building exercise, a classroom style instruction session, etc. Your creativity will be infectious to your employees.
Cool Down
As summer comes to a close and the temperatures begin to fall, it is important to take time to reflect. Were the objectives of the spring cleaning action item list met? Take inventory of the new items that came up, mark any items that remain outstanding, and create your fall to-do list. Join us on May 26, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. as we dive deeper into employee training and development.
The post Get in Shape for Summer – The HR Workout appeared first on StambaughNess.
