Summer might good for fun; it might even be good for business! With more feet on the streets, that might mean more cash in the register, and more money in your coffers. However, summer is not a season with just pros – it has its cons as well. With the suns rays comes the heat and the heat? It’s a real danger. You might not think that heat itself is something that can affect a business, but when it is too hot to handle, a business can really suffer – and sometimes there isn’t much that can be done.
A lot of people like to take advantage of the sun, and this can be a real boost for the leisure industry, restaurants, and bars. People like to get out and about when the sun is shining. However, when the heat is scorching, people start getting scared of going outside – not because of the sun and sunburn, but because heat is a genuine killer. At risk, groups won’t be seen out and about if the temperature is high and while we need to focus about more than just business if people are at risk, this can ensure that businesses really suffer. If the rain is bad, people can still get out and about. If the heat is too high, people will be far more reserved about making trips that they don’t need to. If it’s cold, you can warm up – but it is very hard to cool down. A major boon of summer is the fact that more people will get out, but if the heat goes from ‘mildly spicy’ to ‘surface of the sun’, it’s likely that people will avoid getting out.
Buildings can get affected by the heat as well. They expand in the summer and while many buildings are built with this in mind with safety baco bolts and other design options to enhance structure despite the weather and the heat – some older buildings, or dodgy buildings can crumble. Brick walls have been known to collapse in high heats over years of expansion and buildings can suffer. One skyscraper hotel even had the chemical composition of its windows evaporate in the sun, leading to glass panels freefalling. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but can you imagine? The heat and all sorts of weather have huge effects on structures, and a simple inspection might save your business from a huge bill.
The flaring of the heat also brings flared temperatures. Protests, riots and all sorts of agitation are more likely to occur in the heat than in the cold. This can mean that workplace relationships get strained, and tempers rise with the temperature. It’s important for team leaders and business owners to account for the health of their staff when the heat rises and to ensure that the office isn’t reaching boiling point – or the staff could. Air conditioning and other remedies to the heat can keep your staff calm and collected, which is useful not just for the team, but when dealing with customers.
Prepare your business for the heat, because the consequences are dire.