Make the Most of Summertime in your Workplace!

Let’s start by saying how fantastic the summer of 2018 has been so far! We’ve had weeks upon weeks of hot, sunny weather, interspersed by just enough rainfall to avoid the dreaded hosepipe bans of the past. From a workplace point of view, for a lot of businesses summer can be a quieter time of the year. This affords unique opportunities to get things done which may prove more difficult at other times of the year, so make the most of it with our summertime workplace tips.

Tip 1: Invest in Workplace Maintenance

If your Air Conditioning system isn’t working to it’s full potential, we’re sure you’ll have heard it about from your staff by now…! However, your heating system is most likely sitting completely dormant at the moment. Try to stay on top of having your Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) maintained even when they’re not in use, to avoid a much more expensive emergency call out in winter when the heating won’t come on! HVAC systems are constantly improving in terms of efficiency too, so if yours is a little outdated you could actually save money in the long run by replacing it with a more modern system now.
The dry, warm weather also affords many other maintenance opportunities. For example, no one wants to be thinking about replacing their warehouse roof or re-surfacing the employee car park in February!

Tip 2: Review your Workplace Contingency Plans

Do you have a generator in place? Is all your data securely stored and backed up in accordance with the new GDPR regulations? What happens if the building floods during the winter?
The summer is a perfect time to think about these things, as you will have more time now to revise your contingency plans and put them into action than you will during the colder, wetter months when nature-related trouble could be just around the corner.
Whilst it may seem ridiculous while we bask in 30-degree heat, it’s always important to think about what happens if it snows and your employees are unable to get into work. It’s a much more common occurrence than you may think!

Tip 3: De-clutter

If, like many other businesses, summer is the quiet period of the year then there is no better time to de-clutter the office, warehouse and meeting rooms. Take this time to clean up the mess on your desk, shred the items you don’t need, and make room to tackle the rest of your summer jobs list. If your workplace hasn’t already done so, think about going paperless to really cut down on clutter whilst doing great things for the environment at the same time!
If you have a warehouse space, now is the time to re-visit your stockholding arrangements. There are numerous ways in which you can maximise your storage space, and if things are still getting a little tight then the summer is the perfect opportunity to have a mezzanine floor installed to double your existing space which you’re already paying for.

Tip 4: Get Christmas Holiday Requests Moving

Yes, it’s August and we’re already talking about Christmas (sorry!). However, it’s all too common that staff members will build up their holiday allowance thinking they can book a load of time off over the festive period, only to find out that all their colleagues have tried to do the same thing. Encourage your employees to think ahead through the remaining months of the year and get any holiday requests signed off in plenty of time to avoid disappointment later. Happy staff = motivated staff, and motivated staff = productive staff!

We hope you’re enjoying the summer so far. If you need any help with workplace improvements, HVAC systems or storage solutions, contact us now on 01462 484 022 where our friendly experts will be happy to help!