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How do you keep technicians motivated during slow periods?

Carla Jimenez (Staff)

Hey everyone!

We want to make sure you're set up for success year-round, and I know many of you are navigating those quieter summer months or seasonal dips where the schedule just isn't as full. I'd love to hear what you're doing to keep your field teams engaged and motivated when the job board starts looking a little... sparse.

A few questions to get us started:

  • Are you cross-training technicians on different skills or equipment types?
  • How do you handle scheduling when there's more availability than work?
  • Any creative ways you've found to maintain that sense of purpose and team connection?

Whatever's working for your crew — or what you've tried that didn't land — we'd love to hear it. This is a space for real talk and sharing ideas!

Feel free to follow up here or reach out directly if you'd like to connect more on your specific situation. We're always here to help!

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  • From a leadership perspective, slow periods are an operational investment opportunity. We reallocate 20% of field labor hours to three priorities:

    1. Process improvement projects — technicians lead root cause analysis on our top five callback drivers

    2. Customer retention touchpoints — proactive maintenance calls to existing accounts, not revenue-generating but relationship-building

    3. Cross-functional exposure — dispatch shadowing, parts inventory management, safety committee participation

    The key is structure. Unstructured downtime breeds uncertainty. Structured development maintains engagement and typically yields measurable improvements in our fall peak season.

    We also use this period for compensation planning and career pathing conversations. Technicians who see a future stay longer.

  • in reply to Keiko Tanaka
    • Skill audits — 2 hours, assess what gaps exist
    • Pair weak/strong on actual jobs when available
    • Document everything for fall onboarding rush

    Skip the team building activities. Techs hate forced fun.

  • in reply to Sylvia Chen

    Sorry if this is a silly question, but how do you handle the techs who *want* the team building? We have a couple younger guys who are really social and I think they'd actually be disappointed if we canceled our summer BBQ, but I also don't want to make everyone else feel like they have to attend...

    Also I'm not sure if this is relevant but we're a smaller team, only 8 technicians, so maybe that changes things? I really appreciate any insight — this is my first time managing through a slow season and I want to get it right!

  • in reply to Lindsey Park

    Hi Lindsey! Not a silly question at all — this is exactly the kind of nuance that makes each team's situation unique.

    With 8 technicians, you probably know individual preferences pretty well. What we've seen work is making social events truly optional with a small twist: give the social folks a way to opt "in" more meaningfully. Maybe they help plan the BBQ, or it's framed as a recognition event for a specific win rather than generic "team building."

    The key is reading the room — if two people organically want to organize something, support them. If you're the one pushing it because you think you "should," that's when it backfires.

    Happy to chat more about your specific team dynamics if helpful. We're here to make sure you're set up for success!

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  • in reply to Lindsey Park

    Hi Lindsey! Not a silly question at all — this is exactly the kind of nuance that makes each team's situation unique.

    With 8 technicians, you probably know individual preferences pretty well. What we've seen work is making social events truly optional with a small twist: give the social folks a way to opt "in" more meaningfully. Maybe they help plan the BBQ, or it's framed as a recognition event for a specific win rather than generic "team building."

    The key is reading the room — if two people organically want to organize something, support them. If you're the one pushing it because you think you "should," that's when it backfires.

    Happy to chat more about your specific team dynamics if helpful. We're here to make sure you're set up for success!

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