At the beginning of June, the summer seems endless. Days, weeks, months of warm weather, light mornings, long evenings and (hopefully) some rest and relaxation stretch as far as one can see. What’s not to love?! While summer is no doubt a great time of the year, there can be something equally enjoyable about the arrival of September and the “back to school” feelings it brings with it. After the fun, but often chaotic, days of summer, people are often craving a return to routine. While for many that means the kids are back in school, their gym attendance becomes more consistent and they hit pause on the mid-week rose, it can also mean that people are taking stock of their aims and objectives for the remainder of the year. This mindset can be something employers can harness to get the best out of their employees during this period and to help them transition from the slow pace of summer to the all-go pace of autumn.
Reconnect and re-energise
September may be the first time the whole team has been together in a while, particularly if people have taken staggered annual leave to ensure adequate cover or have worked from home more than usual to facilitate (often complex!) summer holiday childcare arrangements. Encouraging employees to have a quick reset before they resume business as usual can help them get settled back in more seamlessly. This may include a team meeting so everyone can be brought up to speed on where each other is up to workwise and, if appropriate, personally.
Suggest to staff that they consider loosely mapping out their first week or so back to ensure that they don’t immediately feel overwhelmed. This may include a simple to do list, but it could go so far as blocking time out of calendars to spend on specific tasks, particularly those that are a priority or require sustained periods of uninterrupted concentration to complete.
Roadmap the months ahead
If appropriate, encourage employees to set one or two bigger goals that they want to achieve before the end of the year. They may be personal career goals, a desire to upskill in a particular area or concentrating on a final push to complete a project that’s been rumbling on. Big goals can be daunting, meaning it is often helpful to break them down into more manageable chunks. For example, in terms of upskilling, that might look like firstly identifying a skill gap, then researching training options before settling on a plan of action and seeking approval from the appropriate people to pay for/participate in the proposed training.
Employers may want to ask team leaders to sit down with each member of their team to discuss their individual goals and to find out if there is anything the business can do to support them in achieving them. Team leaders should diarise to check in with employees periodically to discuss what progress they have managed to make. Particularly if the goals are “soft” rather than business must-dos be mindful that the check ins should feel supportive and not like performance management meetings!
September can be a great time for productivity and for setting the tone for the remainder of the calendar year. Getting back into the swing of things after the summer needn’t be painful and with the right approach it can lay down good foundations for a productive and prosperous end to the year!
