How Do You Motivate Staff in the Summer?

SUKI TAKAGI
Founder, Suki’s International Hair Design
“Keeping our staff motivated in hot weather is never a problem; the challenge is more with our guests than our staff. When we get our first good weather of the year, we have more cancellations because the clients have gone to the beach or the mountains. After the first few weeks of good weather everyone seems to get back into a regular mode.”

CHLOE WEIR
Operations manager, Café Crêpe   
“For us, making sure that they have enough time off to enjoy the weather when it does come is key. Keeping the stress level low is also important, and we do that by offering incentives – rewards for the employee who greets the most customers on a given day, for example. Lastly, it’s valuable that our employees see themselves as a part of a team. If they like their co-workers, they’ll be happier at work.”

ANDREW D’ECA
General manager, Angus One Professional Recruitment
“It’s good to be open-minded and to have flexibility as an employer. One great way is to let people start earlier in the morning so they can leave earlier. Here our early shift starts at 7:30. A lot of our team members take turns starting early so they can get out of the office early and enjoy the afternoon and early-evening summer light.”