For many of us, summer is a time for relaxation and fun. With BBQs aplenty and bustling beer gardens, when Britain gets its weather right, there’s nowhere else better on earth. However, as brilliant as the glorious sunshine may be for the weekends and down time, it causes numerous problems for businesses up and down the country. From problems with refrigeration in restaurants to the decreasing of staff efficiency, the heat causes problems no matter what the nature of your business.
Here are three ways that the heat affects your business and how you can stop it.
1. Heat Affecting Staff Morale
As much as we try and block it out when we’re in an office environment, the heat can really affect staff morale, as this article by Pure Air Conditioning explains.
When the heat rises, in an office environment in particular with large open windows, it can be very hard to keep focus and, as a result, both staff morale and staff efficiency drop below the level they should be at, with minds beginning to wander about where else people would rather be.
To limit this, there are a number of steps that you can take depending on your budget. For cheap options, you could schedule extra drinks breaks for your staff or be more lenient with breaks, or you could also relax your dress code policy (within reason) to allow staff members to wear shorts or t-shirts. Obviously, this is entirely dependent on the nature of your business, but staff morale will be boosted hugely.
If money is no object, you could even go as far as boosting your air conditioning system, or buying additional fans.
2. Maintaining Quality Control
In the heat, the quality of your business’s products can suffer. This is especially true if your business involves food handling in any way, with any slight change in food temperature during handling or transportation can massively affect the end product, causing huge quality control problems.
Of course, however, the heat doesn’t only affect food, and it can cause problems with computers as well, with the heat of the sun causing computers to overheat, crash and lose saved work.
To negate the effects of this, you have to have a proper strategic plan in place which will help you cope with the increased pressure on your business. Ensure that all staff are aware of this plan and review it regularly.
3. Ensuring Footfall Remains High
Finally, ensuring that footfall remains high is always an issue in the summer sun, particularly if your business supplies a product which isn’t necessarily associated with summer. Of course, if you’re selling food, drink or ice creams, for example, this shouldn’t be an issue, but for others it remains a challenge.
To draw customers during the heat, you need to accentuate your business’s USPs and consider the draws of advertising. All businesses suffer during the heat of the summer, so as with quality control, get a plan in place and stick to it. This way, you can ensure that your business doesn’t become a victim of the summer heatwave.
With staff morale high and plans in place for every occasion, your business is nigh on guaranteed to be a success.
Photo credit: Alan / Flickr
