With the appearance of some long-awaited sunshine, it’s worth remembering the benefits it can bring for team productivity and happiness

By Chris at Right Trax Training

With 2012 reported as the second wettest year on record for the UK and a more than frosty start to Spring this year, it feels like the sunshine most of us are currently enjoying is long overdue.  And it’s great.

Doesn’t it make us happier, more light-hearted souls, inside and outside of work?  But do we stop to consider how we can use this glorious sunshine to help us during working hours, rather than simply rushing for the exit at clocking-off time to light the barbeque?

When times are tough it’s time to get inventive; your teams will be motivated by the fact that you are a manager that can think outside the box, which in this case is the four walls that get between them and some serious vitamin D.

So here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Take it outside – Consider having your one to one and team meetings outside.  Sunshine boosts our levels of serotonin (the body’s natural happy hormone), so this should make them more enjoyable and perhaps even more productive, as long as you keep it focused.  You could even think about using someone’s garden for the location of your next team day and shave some pennies off the budget at the same time!

2. Walk the talk – Some light exercise can create more endorphins that, when combined with sunshine, can help to ward off low levels of depression.  Is there a local park nearby?  Perhaps you could even just use the perimeter of the office.

3. Your next team ‘do’ – Give the bowling alley the elbow and use the sunshine to your advantage by having a barbeque or picnic at the beach or a nice park…go easy on the Pimms!

4. Lots of lolly – Surprise the team by getting in some ice lollies to cool them down during the hot weather…a nice idea on a hot Friday afternoon.

5. Homeworking in the sun – You may notice an increase in the amount of homeworking being requested when the sun is at it’s hottest…funny that!  We’ve talked about the pros and cons of homeworking recently, so if you can measure the workload and ensure productivity, why not go for win-win and let them work in the garden?

Put some thought into what you can do and remember: never overdo the sun.  Burning and excessive exposure will increase the risk of skin cancer so encourage the team to cover up and have a bottle of sunscreen on standby (minimum SPF15!).

Let us know what you think in the comments below; what other tips do you have for managing in the sun?

Right Trax Training are a training, development and consultancy business who are passionate about helping other businesses be successful through their people.  Get in touch to find out how we can help you.