Harness the power of balance... keeping employee engagement high over the summer

47% of UK employees say they are less productive during summer, rising to 54% among 18 -  34 year olds (People Management).

Whether it’s parents juggling childcare, people getting excited for holidays, or mid-year tiredness, keeping employee engagement and motivation high during the summer is challenging.

Let’s Talk Holidays

Holidays are essential for our mental, emotional and physical health. They’re often the highlight of our year, a time to relax, explore and make memories.

They’re something we have to work for in more ways than one!

Statistics suggest that the average person in 2024 will receive 100 to 120 emails per day (including spam), and the average working professional will send 40 emails per day (Earth Web).

The downside of returning to work after a holiday is the hundreds of emails waiting for your response. Taking time off work takes planning, with employees often needing to schedule tasks and activities they can’t hand over before they leave. Employees need the time off work to recharge their batteries, and we want that wellbeing buzz to last longer than the few weeks they’re away.

Here’s how to keep your employees happy, motivated and engaged over the summer.

1. Evaluate and Manage Expectations

We’ve mentioned that going on holiday takes planning, and employees often return to a full plate. Catching up takes time, and it’s essential to give employees returning from their holiday a chance to find their feet before expecting them to be at full speed.

You don’t have to write off the first two days, but you can reduce the number of meetings and projects coming their way while they tackle the post-holiday admin.

The same is true over the summer months in general.

When multiple clients and customers go on leave at the same time, many businesses will postpone taking on new solutions. It’s not unusual for those chasing contracts to be met with multiple out-of-office responses, and you ought to consider this with your targets and projections.

Mindful managers boost employee engagement!

2. Flexible Working

Especially helpful for working parents but valued by all, flexible working arrangements boost employee engagement.

What would you do if an employee contacted you one sunny morning and told you they planned to start two hours later than usual so they could take their children to the park before starting their working day?

Before you answer, consider that they have no meetings scheduled, so this later start time won’t impact their work, and they’ll make the time up at the end of the day.

Be honest… what would your initial reaction be?

Many employers would hesitate, just as some employees would be reluctant to ask.

Embracing flexible working means adopting a different mindset. Those who’ve been working for many years have been almost conditioned by the nine-to-five working pattern, and stepping away from the norm can feel disconcerting.

In this situation, the employee’s later start time has no impact on the business, but it will positively affect the employee, who feels trusted, respected, and heard by their employer. What a fantastic way to start the day, filling their mental and physical wellbeing buckets and helping them experience more joy with their families. 

More flexibility + trust = higher levels of employee engagement

3. Hold an Event

Moving on from tips that require a mindset and behavioural changes to simply having fun!

Summer events can be more cost-effective than Christmas dos because (when the weather allows it) you can make the most of free outdoor spaces. Keep it simple, inviting all colleagues to bring a picnic or go all out and throw a summer ball.

There are options for all budgets.

Summer events or parties are fantastic opportunities for colleagues to have fun, relax, build bonds, and celebrate one another. Add a recognition element to the event, and watch employee engagement soar.

4. Get Outdoors

Embrace the outdoors, even when you're indoors.

You’ll have embraced flexible working. Many employees will work from home, but when they are in the office, do they need to stay there? If they can do so without compromising security, why can’t employees hold a meeting or brainstorming session outside? There’s nothing worse than staring out the window when the sun is shining, knowing you're missing out.

Remove the walls, hold meetings outside when possible, let your team’s creativity shine, and improve employee engagement.

5. Focus on Employee Wellbeing

When the weather is better, and the days lighter for longer, there are more opportunities for employees to get active. You can encourage them on their way to a healthier lifestyle by running challenges, like who can get the most steps in over a week, cycle the furthest, swim the most lengths… there are many ways to make challenges inclusive and exciting. Whether you have a competitive bunch or people aspiring to personal goals, competitions enhance employee engagement.

Don’t forget to check in!

The better weather may bring more opportunities for play, but it’s essential to remember that some employees may be struggling with the extra juggle and expense. Keep the dialogue open and hold weekly team and individual check-ins to ensure managers know when someone may be finding life difficult.

6. Training & Development

If your business is quieter in the summer months, this presents an opportunity for training and development. Whether you can provide in-person formal learning or sign-post employees to online channels, why not use the quieter months to upskill your teams?

You can read more about the importance of personal development as part of your employee engagement strategy in our blog - Harness the Power of Motivation with Maslow, Herzberg, and Pink.

7. Volunteering

Being able to take time to volunteer for our local charities has been incredible, and I am so happy to work for a business that allows us to help others. Pluxee UK Employee

Giving feels good, and 77% of employees believe businesses should support volunteering activities (Pilotlight).

Allowing employees paid volunteering time is a brilliant way to boost your CSR credentials and enhance employee engagement. Trial it over the summer months to see the results, and then embed this valued employee benefit into your business.

8. Comprehensive Discounts

We can’t forget the impact employee benefits like discounts and cashback have on employee engagement and wellbeing. Making life more affordable over the summer holidays with travel discounts, days out with the kids and restaurants - then the practical, everyday essentials and back-to-school spending... the steps you take to stretch employees’ salaries yield a return.

Discover more:

• Why it pays to enhance employee financial resilience
• Essential savings for your employees, whenever, wherever!
• Savings on Back-to-School Essentials
• Get More for Less with Pluxee Discounts

Following these eight tips will boost your employee engagement strategy over the summer holidays, but you’ll see the difference they can make all year round.

Request a chat with our employee engagement consultants to discover how partnering with Pluxee UK will help your business and people thrive.