Keeping employees engaged and motivated can be a challenge throughout the year, but in the dog days of summer, it can seem nearly impossible. Working in the heat every day is daunting, but as managers and company owners, keeping a positive morale on the jobsite is an important task. PJ Rovinelli, a business instructor with Ewing Education, offers a few ideas to help landscaping crews keep employee morale and engagement high.

Celebrate the small wins

From completing a job to getting a positive Yelp review, there are plenty of small wins to celebrate. By celebrating, we mean acknowledging a win, recognizing the employees that helped get that win and giving a company “hoorah” for a job well done.

“Leverage your daily morning meetings before the crews head out to their jobsites to acknowledge and celebrate a recent win,” said Rovinelli. “ It’s a great topic to end the meeting on, sending your crews on a morale high as they head to their jobsite.”

Daily trivia

Utilize a whiteboard in an employee common area, like the break room or water cooler, to post a daily trivia question. It can be surprising how much employees will engage with something as simple as a fun activity, especially if you encourage them to jot down their guesses on the board. It provides employees something to look forward to at the beginning of the day for the question and end of day for the answer.

Half-day Friday

“Employees want to be successful and want to work toward company goals. It helps provide ownership and engagement,” said Rovinelli. “As important as it is to hit these goals, it’s just as important to reward that work.”

As an employee accomplishes a goal or area of improvement, whether it’s cost control or reducing re-work, it provides managers a chance to reward that employee. An appreciative and easy reward, especially during the summer months, is offering a half-day off on a Friday after the employee hits a milestone. It’s quick to offer and use and immediately recognizes an employee for doing a great job.

What are other ways you keep your crews engaged and motivated?