It’s officially summertime. It’s time for HVAC technicians to wriggle through humid crawlspaces with snakes and rats. It’s time for electricians to feed wire through a 120-degree attic for a ceiling fan. It’s time for a plumbing technician to dig up and replace a busted sewer line in the blazing sun. It’s time for a roofing crew to spend a day directly in the sun with asphalt shingles baking underneath them.
We ask our teams to do a lot during summer, but each year these months are vital to the success of your business. You’re probably busier in the summer than any other time of the year, so how do you take advantage of summer service opportunities and work long hours without burning out your team?
It’s a question of motivation, and most business owners think of motivation as throwing some money at their employees. However, money is rarely the most powerful motivator. In fact, in a study conducted by George Mason University of what motivates employees, good pay was the fifth-highest motivator. More important than money were job security, feeling “in” on things, appreciation, and the number-one motivator was interesting work.
If money isn’t the answer, how do you motivate your technicians in this busiest of seasons? Until you have a line of technicians waiting to come to work for you, you’ll face the summer challenge of too much work with too few technicians.
Here are four steps you can use to help your team cope with the dog days of summer and the long hours that come with them given the powerful motivators that George Mason University unearthed.
1. Show your team they make a difference.
Since job security is so important, let your team know how valuable they are in the summer. One way to do this is to find a customer testimonial from a client praising your company for helping them out of a hazardous situation. For instance, there are reports every summer about elderly people who succumb to the heat because they don’t have air conditioning. Get a testimonial from a client whose life would have been in danger if your technician hadn’t arrived to help them. Share that story with your team and stress the impact they have on lives during summer. A doctor has to drop everything when an emergency comes in to protect the health of his or her clients, and your technicians are no different than that doctor in summer when an emergency call comes in. Someone’s life could depend on you.
2. Ask them to establish the priorities.
If you want to help your team “feel in on things,” you can get your technicians involved in establishing a priority schedule for how they would like service calls to be handled this summer. Who do you want to make sure gets service? If an elderly person or a family with no electricity—and thus no air conditioning—calls in on a 100-degree day, are you willing to go the extra mile to make sure we give them service today? Again, it’s the same concept as a doctor looking out for patients. If a patient comes in with a bruised elbow and another comes in with chest pains, the doctor’s priority will be to make sure the patient with chest pains gets assistance. That’s the type of priority your team needs to set for themselves during summer months.
3. Demonstrate you care.
It’s hot out there! Show your team you care about their health by educating them about the dangers of heat stroke.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- Headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting.
- Weakness and moist skin.
- Mood changes such as irritability or confusion.
- Upset stomach or vomiting.
Symptoms of heat stroke include:
- Dry, hot skin with no sweating.
- Mental confusion or losing consciousness.
- Seizures or fits.
You can download a reference card from OSHA that your team can carry with them about protecting themselves from heat stress at http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf
4. Gain family buy-in.
Finally, let your people know you appreciate them by recognizing them for their efforts above and beyond the call of duty. If done right, this can also gain the support of the family and gain support for your company at home. Every time a technician goes above and beyond and takes a call in the evening or one that takes them away from their family, they receive an entry in a lotto system with prizes given throughout summer. For example, you could give away prizes that will excite the whole family like weekend getaways, televisions, or theme-park tickets. Then send a letter to the spouses at home explaining the contest and the prizes. In some instances, I’ve seen families desiring a certain prize who will ask the technician—“What are you doing home so early?”—when they arrive home at 7 pm. The family will get behind your technician and buy into the service they provide over summer, and they’ll be excited about the possibility of winning a desired prize. Plus, your technicians will know how much you appreciate them.
Your people are asked to perform some amazing feats each summer, and they deserve special consideration for the service they provide. Help your team survive summertime, and you’ll see your company thrive. Keep your employees happy every day—and each day you’ll make money!