But the more leisurely pace also gives employees time to mull over their next career steps. Far from building future success, it can lead to departures or disenchantment among key staff. Therefore, managers should devote some of their spring 'thinking time' to HR issues. How can they nurture valued employees? What can they do to help staff perform to their best ability, and maximise job satisfaction?
The issue of job satisfaction is made acute this year by South Africa's fuel price increases. Higher commuting costs often persuade people to look for jobs closer to home. It also puts pressure on salaries. Following a hike in transport costs in Singapore, 90% of businesses there thought workers would demand higher wages. 40% thought rising transport costs made people unhappy with their jobs. South African businesses, take note.
Given that scenario, this spring is definitely a time to nurture staff. There are plenty of ways to do that, apart from the obvious salary and bonus issues.
In a global survey by Regus, respondents said that respect for colleagues was the key ingredient for creating a happy workplace. South African workers were in tune with this - 56% named respect for colleagues as the key behaviour for a good working environment.
Respect can take many forms. Even where there is still a defined corporate hierarchy - as there is in many South African companies - business morale benefits from a culture where senior and junior accord each other mutual respect. For example, a culture where senior staff routinely keep junior staff waiting at meetings, or fail to acknowledge their achievements, creates a culture of discourtesy and distrust, of 'us' and 'them'.
Businesses also need to respect the work-life balance of their staff. In the Regus Work-Life Balance Index 2012 ("A better balance", Regus), over three in five people in South Africa said they had picked up additional duties during the downturn, which have not yet been picked up by a new member of staff. For some staff, this is good news: they gain new skills and responsibilities. Other simply feel that they're being taken advantage of, that their work-life balance is not being respected.
That brings me to another key element in retaining and motivating staff: the need to pay attention to the bigger picture of their lives, not just the 9 to 5. For example, fuel price increases may have several ramifications for employers:
Whilst the first two issues carry no upsides, the third presents an opportunity for employers to gain goodwill: offer employees the chance to reduce their commuting bills and times, and they develop a greater sense of loyalty. Instead of making staff work under one roof, consider letting them work closer to home - at other locations or pay-as-you-go workspace - for some or all of the week.
Loosening the control over employees' working locations and hours can reap huge benefits for companies: 72% of businesses say flexible working leads directly to greater productivity, and 63% say it makes staff more energised and motivated. ("Flexibility drives productivity", Regus, February 2012.)
One explanation for the link between flexible working and productivity is that workers with the freedom to work at times and places that suit their lives, work better. When communications company O2 ran a flexible working trial in February this year, just over half the commuting time saved was spent working.
So, as you revel in the more leisurely work atmosphere this spring, use some of your thinking time to ponder those issues. Nurturing your key staff is not just a matter of what you pay them or when you promote them (although that obviously is important). Think about fostering an atmosphere of respect. Think about whether you need to review your employees' workload, And think about giving staff more scope to juggle their lives, whether they're juggling fuel increases, commuting pressures, or family duties. It's not just your staff who could gain from a change in their working practices, your business could benefit too.
