The Edge for August 2018
Workplace routines change in the summer, so we asked New Jersey business executives to tell us about changes at their offices in the summer months. They told us about biking to lunch, motivational speakers, long-range planning sessions, casual Fridays and, of course, managing vacations. Here’s more:
Biking to Lunch, Motivational Speakers and Summer Hours on Fridays
The work doesn’t stop in the summer, but it’s a different pace. We work hard and we play hard. It’s important that we maintain a culture in which our people want to stay. We have summer Fridays, when people can leave the office at 3 p.m. We have four trek bikes with helmets that employees can take out at lunch and we have a place with a stage in our office where we host special guests like motivational speakers.
– Anne Picone, General Manager, MarketSmith
Developing Growth Strategies for the Company and its Employees
To help with work-life balance, we have summer hours. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we close the office at 2 p.m. on Fridays. We have done this for years and everyone at Hampshire appreciates the break. While at the office during the summer, we particularly focus on two areas: developing career plans for those that work here, and managing long-range growth and productivity strategies for the company. For example, this year, we are transitioning to a new accounting outsource provider.
– James Hanson, President & CEO, The Hampshire Companies
Meeting with Clients and Reviewing Service Offerings
A pillar of our culture is that the clients’ needs - not the calendar or the clock - determine our schedule. As a result, a valuable activity during the summer is reviewing our menu of client service offerings, and getting in front of clients to learn how we can better help them. Technology changes rapidly, and the summer months also are good for taking stock of our office technology and how we can build on it. Further, we use the summer to fine-tune our marketing initiatives and further develop our talent bench. Of course, the summer is also a great chance for our people to recharge and spend quality time with their families after all of their hard work and dedication throughout the year.
– Jay Weinstein, Partner-in-Charge of EisnerAmper LLP’s New Jersey Office
Deadlines, Vacations and Volunteerism
Fridays are a little more casual in the summer, but it is busy at the office. July 1 is a big day for us because most school districts and municipalities renew their benefits or make important decisions by July 1 to coincide with the start of their fiscal years. We have over two-thirds of the school districts and municipalities market so the months leading to July are our busiest months. Still, there are more vacations and more employee volunteerism in the summer months, and we encourage that.
– Dennis Wilson, President & CEO, Delta Dental of New Jersey
