The Best Ways to Energize Your Employees This Fall

As summer comes to a close, back-to-school season is quickly followed by the upcoming holiday season. With so much to do, it’s no surprise that employee productivity and engagement often wane, especially when workers feel their jobs are keeping them from enjoying time between school, and time with family and friends.

Businesses face a unique challenge during this time: how to counteract the last quarter slump and keep everyone energized and motivated.

Let’s explore some tactics for avoiding burnout and keeping employee productivity and engagement high in the last quarter of the year.

Why Does Productivity and Engagement Suffer in the Fall?

Shorter Days

As the daylight hours shorten, circadian rhythms need a little time to adjust. Some employees can experience fatigue earlier in the day, especially if they’re working shifts that start in the late afternoon to early evening.

Endless Distractions

The Fall months are filled with local events and opportunities to relax and socialize, which can quickly make employees’ minds start to wander. People planning some time off during the holiday may spend work hours finalizing their holiday plans instead of focusing on their tasks.

Busier Schedules

Many employees’ personal schedules become jam-packed over the back-to-school and holiday season. In addition to their jobs, they need to juggle tasks like grocery shopping, preparing dinner parties, taking kids to and from play dates and soccer practices, and taking care of house repairs in preparation for the long winter ahead. An overloaded holiday schedule can leave workers feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, with little energy to complete their work.

Tips for Combating the Autumn Productivity Slump

Here are some ideas for keeping employee engagement and productivity high throughout the Fall and beyond:

Offer Flexible Work Options

One of the most effective ways to maintain workplace productivity and boost employee morale is to offer flexible work schedules.

This will be particularly valuable to employees who may experience childcare challenges over the Autumn months. Not all workers can afford daycare, or have family members able to help out with childcare. Even if they do, there will inevitably be days that these arrangements fall through due to illness or unforeseen emergencies.

Besides mitigating childcare challenges, giving employees more control over their hours will improve their morale, as they can enjoy more leisure time during the holiday months and won’t feel they’re missing anything important in their personal lives.

There are various ways to offer flexible working arrangements, such as:

• Allowing employees to choose their hours, such as an earlier or later shift.
• Half-days, where employees can leave early on a certain day without it counting against their PTO.
• A compressed work week, where employees work longer hours over fewer days in return for an extra day off.

Organize Fun Outdoor Activities and Events

Organizing outdoor activities is a great way to engage your workers while taking advantage of the cooling weather and shorter daylight hours. This can boost morale and even promote a sense of camaraderie and connection among team members.

Popular options include:

• A company picnic or a day at a local park.
• A baseball game.
• A team hike or bike ride.

Promote Holistic Wellness

Autumn is a great time to promote wellness initiatives, particularly during Open Enrollment season. For employees working in environments with limited outdoor time, such as kitchens, warehouses, or production facilities, providing healthy refreshing beverages like smoothies, lemonade, or ice-cold water during breaks can help employees recharge.

Also, pay attention to your employees’ financial well-being, as the holidays often put a strain on your employees’ finances. This year, around 36% of Americans planning holiday vacations will go into debt for their travels. Once the holiday season is over, many will end up with a “debt hangover.”

On-demand payment—also known as Earned Wage Access (EWA)—provides a superior alternative to high-interest lending options, and is a great way to help employees stay ahead this Fall season. It allows your people to access wages they’ve accrued but not yet received instead of having to wait for their next weekly or monthly payday.

Here’s to a Productive Fall Season!

Maintaining employee engagement and productivity during the Autumn months can be challenging. However, with the right strategies and benefits, you can keep your team motivated and engaged this FAll, setting up your business for a more profitable last quarter.

Learn more about Payactiv’s EWA and employee financial wellness services, or book a demo.

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