Workloads vary from day to day, and sometimes your employees might find themselves bored at work if they don’t have enough projects to work on during their down time. This can be especially true for interns. Young adults are skilled in multi-tasking and have variety in their day-to-day. Below are some pointers on how to break up the day for your interns and new employees who might not have enough big projects to work on during slower parts of the work day or season.
Every job comes with tasks that are less enjoyable than others. Employees can easily become bored at work if their whole day consisted of going through emails, setting up meetings, organizing calendars, data entry, etc. Every job comes with a degree of this. It can actually be good to ease into the day with work that’s less demanding though by doing this first thing in the morning.
Work that is classified as fun usually has some element of discovery, creativity, difficulty, or autonomy. Campaigns, research projects, or writing assignments are all examples of “fun” work. Your intern could play around with different forms of social media marketing and figure out what kind of material will make your followers engage. This could be creating visuals such as videos, gifs or images. Or, it could be creating prompts for followers to interact with. This kind of creative work can have a big impact on the company’s brand, while also insuring your intern won’t be bored at work. Best of all, it can be measured. Your intern’s work can be ongoing and evolving.
A good balance of “fun” and “unfun” work is key. The ultimate way to avoid a monotonous workday is to make each day a little different than the last. Maybe have your intern sit in on a meeting here and there, or shadow a coworker in another department. More exposure to different departments and positions will boost their internship experience and offer them more skills and knowledge.
Employees that are stuck doing the same thing for too long can see a noticeable impact on their productivity levels. Shaping your intern’s experience to have variety will keep their productivity levels high, as well as provide them with a more well-rounded internship experience.
Don’t forget to touch base with your intern often. An average internship lasts about eight weeks, so frequent check-ins are necessary to make sure their work is on track. Beyond weekly sessions, it is good practice to make time for a daily check-in. A simple “how are you?” can go a long way.
Photos:
1. Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
2. Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
3. Photo by Damian Patkowski on Unsplash