Draw the blinds – the sun’s out

Image: Rex Features

Wednesday is set to be the hottest day of the year, with temperatures predicted to reach 30C. In fact, it’s going to be nice all week, unless you live somewhere ridiculous like Northern England or Scotland (heaven forbid).

For Guru, and all HR professionals, such conditions automatically trigger a heightened sense of alert. It is inevitable whenever the sun comes out in the UK that there will be employees who’d rather be out enjoying the sun than sat in the office. Guru’s tactic for dealing with these emotions is inspired by the large supermarket chains – ensure that your employees forget it is sunny by blocking out all signs of the outside. Just as after 10 minutes in a large, artificially lit, windowless supermarket you’ve forgotten there’s a world outside the toilet roll aisle, closing all the shutters and prohibiting discussion of the outside world will achieve the same effect in your office. By ten o’clock nobody will remember they ever had a life outside the office, let alone believe that it might be sunny out there.