August is peak season for summer holidays in the UK and workplace productivity usually takes a big hit during this period.

Productivity specialists Workfront has created 5 tips to help businesses motivate their employees in the summer. The tips have come from Workfront’s study into external factors affect employee motivation and productivity.

Here are Workfront’s 5 ways to motivate your employees during the summer slump

1- Give positive feedback: When asked ‘what influences you to excel at work the most’ 37% of workers cited ‘praise from my manager or boss’. Not surprisingly, 36% of workers regarded ‘criticism from a manager or boss’ as their top demotivator at work. It’s the easiest change to make, after all, a few words goes a long way!

2- Enable flexible working: Over half (52%) of British workers picked ‘flexi hours’ as the perk that most motivates them to be a better employee. If this isn’t an option for them already now is the time to introduce it.

3- Turn up the music: Get an office playlist going to get the productivity levels where they need to be. Over 83% of workers admit to listening music to improve their productivity and 25% preferred R&B/Soul music to get their juices flowing.

4- Open up the workplace: When it comes to how the office environment affects productivity, it’s a pretty close call between open plan and individual offices. Workers stated they are more productive (32%) when they can see and talk to their other colleagues, while 29% prefer to be behind a door – all they need is choice.

5- Allow a change of scenery: Workers also want the option to work from different locations and the opportunity to get inspired by different surroundings. 34% of workers feel they are most productive when they are able to work from home away from distractions. Another 20% relied on caffeine-power and preferred to work from a coffee shop when they needed to be at their productive best. Encourage your employees to try this.

The full report into What Motivates UK Workers can be found here: https://www.slideshare.net/Workfront/new-workfront-survey-what-motivates-uk-knowledge-workers

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