For most of us, the summer holiday period is over for another year and it’s time to get back to work.
But there can be a reluctance to get serious about business – especially on those super hot days when everything seems harder or those gorgeous, balmy days that beckon us outside. These feelings can permeate throughout an organisation from owners and managers to frontline staff. So how do you help your team get back to work?
Rebuilding Productive Attitudes
Unfortunately, productive, “back to work” attitudes begin with senior staff and the business owner/s themselves. If you seem sloppy, relaxed or working shorter hours, your staff will follow your example.
Of course, many industries experience reduced workloads in January and February so you may feel it’s ok to ease back into work for the first couple of weeks. However, for many staff, your attitude will be interpreted as the new norm for the business and that can be difficult to turnaround.
Within any organisation, there’s always plenty to do, so if this is a quiet period for your industry, use this time to do those tasks that are difficult to complete at other times of the year.
The beginning of the year is also an excellent time to implement changes in policy that will positively influence staff behaviours and mindset. Examples include:
- Implementing a clear workspace policy. After all, a neat and tidy workspace can increase efficiency.
- Reviewing workstations. Are they cluttered with personal knick-knacks? While it’s important for some staff to personalise their work area, there are those who take it too far. This could be a great time of year to set guidelines on what is and isn’t appropriate.
- Evaluate the overall appearance of your business. Are your office furnishings and fittings looking tired or damaged? Is your warehouse or building surrounds looking unkempt or dirty? All these things affect the attitudes and morale of employees and customers alike so it may be time for you to organise a general clean, tidy and refurbishment program.
Summertime Dress Codes
Attitudes aren’t the only thing that can be affected by summer. Workwear standards can also slip. When it comes to safety, personal protective wear is a must – regardless of the weather. But there should also be rules around what your business considers appropriate workwear.
More casual attire is the norm for some industries while others favour a more formal, conservative look. If you wish to implement business attire standards, it’s important to avoid ambiguity and interpretation by specifying what’s not acceptable. Examples include:
- No blue jeans or shorts
- Skirts and dresses must reach the top of the knee
- Clothing with political or religious messaging or graphics are unacceptable
- Apparel with language or graphics that are vulgar, sexually explicit or offensive in any way are not permitted
- Tattoos must be covered and facial piercings may need to be removed – especially for customer-facing roles
- Thongs of any type are not to be worn to work
- Clothing that shows midriff must not be worn
When creating business dress policies, care must be taken to avoid discrimination. For example, rainbow coloured hair may be a political statement. Some tattoos have cultural importance and, of course, some apparel has both religious and cultural significance. In these situations, you need to be open to negotiation with the individual team member.
Getting It Right
Employee performance, attitude and attire can be delicate things to deal with. That’s where End2End Business Solutions can help. If you don’t currently have policies on attire or performance expectations, we can easily help you design and implement them. We’re also available to assist you with those tricky staff conversations.
The End2End team are specialists in common sense HR. To investigate how we may be able to help your business manage its people, call us on (02) 8977 4002.