The Lazy Days of Summer

“Summertime and the living is easy….” So says the song made famous by George Gershwin in his Porgy and Bess. That’s the myth of summer, but the reality is that there are many people who have to work harder during the summer than any other time of year. Construction workers, landscapers and people in the hospitality sector are all working more during the allegedly lazy days of summer.

When July rolls around, one of my clients starts to worry about his business getting “loose”. By August it is a constant concern. It’s not a negative comment on his team – they are long-term, committed and really smart. They know what is required of them every day and in every season. I read his concern as a statement about “the summer state of mind”.

It is a concern I share. Especially if you are at your busiest from a client perspective during the summer months – which is the case for many casino operators and hospitality businesses in Canada and most of the United States.

Why do I worry? There is an inevitable slowing down at the managerial level that takes place during this season. You have likely observed that focus for many people shifts in the summer. People take vacations at this time of year; school is out and families understandably want time together. Some government and Crown Corporation employers permit workers to participate in a modified days program — which means they are able to work short weeks.

At the time when your business is most active, we often observe the least oversight from senior management. That’s when things can get loose. When we should be at the top of our game, our focus is not there.

Another summertime issue is that while some of us are working less, others are working harder. We often take on extra duties to cover a colleague’s vacation. I know I have had the experience of working longer and harder to clear the decks so I can go away, only to have to put in extra time to catch up on my return. Scheduling meetings to maintain momentum on work in progress, or initiating new projects is next to impossible.

Of course I know everyone needs to take time to recharge and refresh. Holidays are critical to productivity, as they provide us with time to be reflective without the constraints of our usual routine. From front-line employees to the your most senior executives (known as the C-Suite), we all have more enthusiasm for our work when we can step away from it, even briefly. Being outside of our routines helps us to see things differently, and bring fresh approaches to our professional lives.[1]

As we see time and time again, there is a balance that businesses need to achieve in order to stay focused on priorities and meet (or exceed) customer expectations. The challenge for today: how do you manage down-time for your team while ensuring your business continues to function at its maximum capacity, and continue to move things forward?

Herewith, a few suggestions on how to address this issue.

1. The first step is to recognize that the accepted summer loosening in North America presents some risk to your business, unless you manage it proactively. My client is one of the few people I have heard express his concerns about the summer state of mind so clearly.

2. Hire for fit! Managers, leaders and front-line employees should understand the consequences (and opportunities) related to working in your business sector. For casinos, hotels and restaurants that means being prepared to work harder during the times of the day, week and year when everyone else is free.[2] If your team isn’t committed to the expectations of the business you will not be successful.

3. Communicate clearly with your managers and employees to about the seasonality of your specific business. This will help you to ensure that you have appropriate coverage organization-wide for your peak seasons. Managers and members of the leadership team should be available and on site to enforce service standards, and lead by example. Ensure your most senior and experienced employees are working the peaks. If summer is your busiest time of year, encourage people to take vacations during the fall, spring or winter. Be creative, within your threshold…. Are you able to offer managers extra vacation days for holidays chosen during off-peak seasons to make up for working evenings, weekends and peak season as part of their comp package? Are you able to show in your contracts a “premium” (built into existing salary levels) related to schedule expectations? Being up front with people about the position requirements is key to mutual understanding and avoids resentment and confusion.

4. We have talked a lot in this blog about the importance of having a plan. Of course, your plan should consider staffing levels for front-line workers, but the plan should also include thoughts about how you are going to ensure continuity, focus and leadership year-round. And on the topic of the plan, we have said it before and we cannot say it often enough, making sure everyone understands the plan and how it relates to each employee’s part in fulfilling business objectives day-to-day is critical.

Today, I will close with a short follow-up from my last blog “Putting Your Expectations in Cultural Context”, when I commented on the different culture in Vienna where shops were closed on Sundays. I have to confess that I had that same experience in Nova Scotia this past weekend. I was wandering around Lunenburg and at least 30% of the shops and restaurants were closed on a beautiful hot, sunny Sunday afternoon when there were tons of people milling about for the Folk Art Festival. At least in Vienna the restaurants were reliably open. I see lost opportunity – don’t these business owners want to make money, especially given the short season? I know that some people would believe these businesses have put in place a structure to honour work/life balance for their employees. If there is demand, perhaps a case could be made to hire more seasonal workers to allow them to stay open? Helen’s blog from August 2015, "The Anti-Tourism Attitude", addresses this issue too.

Photo Credit: Gala Holm

[1] Having stated my belief in the importance of work/life balance, I must confess that it’s something I struggle with personally. As a consultant, the lines between my personal and professional self are more blurry than they were when I was a salaried employee for someone else.

[2] When I was a teenager my mother was a realtor, the consequence of which was that she was busy evenings and weekends.

[2] When I was a teenager my mother was a realtor, the consequence of which was that she was busy evenings and weekends.

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