Twenty years ago, summertime was a slow time for agencies. Clients were on vacation, the hot days made everyone a bit lethargic and there was always time to catch the ice cream truck outside. Today, that seasonality seems to have almost entirely disappeared.
Workloads are as heavy (or heavier!) than normal and clients are cancelling their vacations because they've got too many things due. It's still as hot as ever outside, but agencies can't afford a lethargic workforce anymore. With that in mind, we've compiled three productivity boosters to help get everyone through the summer months successfully.
SUMMER FRIDAYS: It may be counter-intuitive, but research shows that closing the agency early on Fridays during the summer can actually boost both morale and productivity. The idea of cutting out early on Fridays during the summer supposedly started with ad agencies in the 1960s and it's become a common perk at companies in almost every industry today. How it's executed varies widely though:
- Some agencies actually close early on summer Fridays (which can be annoying to clients)
- Some allow employees to choose 3 - 5 Fridays that they can leave early or work from home (this can be difficult to execute without the right resource management system)
- Some agencies require employees work longer hours during Monday - Thursday if they're going to leave early on Friday (this isn't very popular with working moms in particular)
- Some agencies let the employees choose whether they come into the office at all on Fridays or work from home.
Our experience has been that although the idea of Summer Fridays gives everyone a morale boost, in reality, it's actually quite rare that employees get the chance to leave early due to the workload driven by clients (unless they literally take the day off). Maybe the reason Summer Fridays boost productivity is because everyone is trying so hard to get everything done so they can take the time off!
WALKING MEETINGS: It can be difficult to keep yourself focused and productive when you keep noticing what a beautiful day it is outside. Instead of fighting the urge, try embracing it by scheduling a "walking meeting". It doesn't work so well with a group, but if it's only with one or two other people, this can be a great way to get outside, get some exercise and accomplish work at the same time. If you need to take notes, use the Voice Memo feature on your phone or use an AI assistant like Voicera's EVA or Chorus.ai to take the notes for you.
HAVE SOME FUN: A client once said, "If I visit my agency and we're having more fun in our office than they are - I've got the wrong agency." Summer is a great time to lighten things up a bit and infuse some fun into the daily grind. Whether it's a ping-pong tournament during lunchtime, a quick pub quiz over pizza or just putting a movie on and setting some popcorn out. You might be concerned that everyone will slow down and lose focus if such distractions exist, but that's not what actually happens. 
Infusing some fun into the agency environment reduces the lure of the beautiful weather outside and allows people to spread their work out more throughout the day without feeling like they're slaving in a sweatshop. After all, if they take an hour to get a good ping-pong workout or catch that part of Ferris Beuller's Day Off they love so much but wind up working later to make up for it - what's the difference?
Although there are probably twenty productivity hacks we could list, these three tend to be simple to execute and can provide a big boost in both morale and productivity during the summertime. Give them a try and let us know what you think!
Summertime is also a great time to evaluate your agency management system. The right system can save you tens of thousands of dollars a year by helping you better manage your staffing, your contracts, your projects and your clients. Request a Free online demo of the AQUA agency management software below and see for yourself how a comprehensive, integrated solution can help drive growth and profitability for your agency.
