Forecast: Sunny With A Chance of Low Moral

Be honest. We all have those days.

Maybe the weather is especially wonderful, or the beach just beckons louder for some reason, or visitors are in town…

Who wants to be at work on those days?? 

I’m no different than any other employee. A day at the office sometimes pales in comparison to outside. I, too, crave long weekends, barbeques, vacations…I’m sorry. Was I saying something? My mind wandered off to the beach where my friends are at, and I’m here at work.

What can you do to keep morale above “sigh”? Show your employees that you respect their work-life balance, and soften the blow of those workdays.

Flexible Scheduling. Is telecommuting is an option? What about working four 10-hour shifts for Fridays off? Perhaps a long evening or two, with a half-day Friday option? 

Offer Rejuvenation. Any employee will beam upon hearing, “You’ve worked hard all week. Why don’t you head out at 3:00 today?” An extra jump on that “long weekend” (and a bit of gratitude for it) reminds employees why they enjoy working for you in the first place. 

Up the Fun Ante. Company picnics, longer lunch breaks, casual Fridays. These are cliché for a reason. Fridays in jeans are somehow less painful, a tasteful company picnic does promote pride in one’s company, an impromptu meeting at a coffee house is better than the old board room for a change. 

Bottom Line: Your employees have gardens, and children and actual lives outside of work! They’ve shown up rather than playing hooky. Recognize this when you can. Are you afraid to let a little fun in, or do you consider fun part of functional in your office?