With many people packing their suitcases, switching on their ‘out-of-office’ email message, and skipping merrily out the door and onto the plane, this time of year can be both a relaxing and stressful time for employers and employees. Allan Barrows, business advisor at Business Link East, provides some tips for companies wanting to cope with the summer demands.

Summer holidays

With kids off school, summer is the most popular time of the year for families wanting to take annual leave. However, when it’s also one of the busiest times of the year for the business, staff taking leave is not always practical. While you don’t want to forbid staff from taking holiday, you also need to plan ahead to ensure that that business can continue with minimum disruption and customer service is not affected. Try and encourage staff to book holiday throughout the year. For this, you may need to provide incentives, for example, travel vouchers, discounts for off-peak breaks or even extra holiday.

If you know there are a couple of weeks in the year which are the busiest, make it policy that staff must not take holiday in that time. If you do decide to implement something like this, be as open as possible and explain to your staff why you need to implement such a policy – you don’t want them to feel resentful. Do try and have flexibility wherever possible.

Hiring temporary staff, of course, is another example. This will also help to ensure you are able to meet customer demand. Retired staff are often a good source of temporary cover, so keep in touch and include them in staff training sessions when appropriate. Provided leave is properly planned and managed, it shouldn’t disrupt the business.

Absenteeism

As the weather gets hotter, so does people’s desire to be out of the office and in the sunshine. This can cause problems as the business is unprepared and can also cause resentment between other employees. Furthermore, it can set the example that it is ‘okay’ to call in sick even when not. Consider introducing ‘duvet days’ allowing employees to take a day’s holiday at the last minute. This perk, of course, can only be taken when there are adequate resources in the office. Flexible working rotas and a pool of ‘reserves’ will help manage this and other initiatives.

Another option is to introduce ‘Summer Fridays’ whereby during the summer months the office shuts earlier on a Friday. There can be a rota created for this to ensure that a high-level of customer service is still maintained, and for those staff choosing to leave early on a Friday, they can make the time up earlier in the week.

Office temperatures

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that: “During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.”

The regulation goes on to say that: “The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16 degrees celsius unless much of the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees celsius.”

Whilst there is no legal maximum workplace temperature, the above regulation does recommend that temperatures should be at least 16 degrees. High temperatures can make offices unbearable and planning is once again essential here. If you know your office gets too hot during the summer months, consider installing air conditioning. If this is an expensive option, portable air conditioning may be an alternative. You can rent or buy the equipment so it needn’t be too costly an investment.

Dress code

Uniforms are standard practice in many businesses but when the office is too hot, making staff wear restrictive uniforms or suits will make them uncomfortable. Consider relaxing the dress code during summer but only to the extent that customer-facing staff still look smart. Perhaps you could introduce summer uniforms, which are made from material like cooling linen or light cotton. Always consult your staff; ask your staff what they would like to wear. Do they have any suggestions you could implement?

Be reasonable but also strict when implementing a dress code policy and make sure it is equal. There are many instances where men feel women get away with more relaxed dress. If a couple of people start wearing very casual clothing, which is generally not allowed, others will follow. The dress code should be spelt out in a clear policy that is both transparent and understood by all.

Finally, summer should be a good time for everyone – even those at work! Follow some of the simple tips outlined above and not only should your staff be happier but so will you and your customers.

For more information, please call Business Link on 0845 600 9006 or visit: www.businesslink.gov.uk