It's called a summer break for a reason. Families are traveling while kids are off from school, and employees are vacationing more. This can be a hard time to interview and onboard new hires, so many companies scale back on actively filling roles. But you can ready your teams to ramp up recruiting in the fall by polishing up your employer brand. Here are six ways to build buzz around your company this season.
#1 Implement summer Fridays
Who doesn't enjoy a three-day weekend? The way your company defines "Summer Fridays" can mean weekly or bi-weekly Fridays off, or even half day Fridays. The extra time off can boost employee satisfaction and increase productivity too. Forbes reports that 66 percent of employees said summer hours made them more productive.
#2 Roll out surveys
Business tends to get a little slower during the summer. Take advantage of this extra free time by launching short employee surveys. You can also use the time to deliver performance feedback. Instead of waiting until review season - when employees tend to be on edge - use the relaxed summer months to share what's working and areas of improvement.
#3 Designate a meeting-free day
Meetings are necessary for collaboration, but they can also interrupt workflow. Meeting-free days are a good way to find balance. Massive brands like Meta (formerly Facebook) and Asana - both of which have earned spots on Glassdoor's Best Places to Work List - have implemented "Meeting-free Wednesdays" to allow their employees to crank through work, uninterrupted.
If your company already has meeting-free days, consider adding a second meeting-free day for the summer.
#4 Keep their eyes on the prize(s)
Everyone enjoys winning a prize - even if it's something seemingly small. Encourage employees to nominate their peers for going above and beyond on projects, and reward the winners with gift card drawings. Employee appreciation loops add a sense of gratitude to the office and lets team members know their efforts haven't gone unnoticed.
#5 Allow for flexibility
School is out, Childcare can be irregular in the summer, and camps change weekly, so employees with children may need more leeway with their schedules. Adopting flexible schedules - including more work-from-home opportunities - takes some of the stress out of balancing work and home life.
#6 Encourage dialogue
Employees are the driving force behind any employer brand. Just take a look at Glassdoor's company reviews. Instead of waiting to react to issues that arise in public forums or through word-of-mouth, make an effort to ask your employees what they like and what needs fine-tuning. You don't even need a formal survey to start collecting suggestions: Just start with a question of the week.
Employer branding goes a long way in attracting the best talent to your company. If your company is looking to scale up its workforce, small steps during the summer can lead to major recruiting strides in the fall. Get started today with Glassdoor's Employer Branding Guide.
