How line managers can beat the summer productivity slump

How line managers can beat the summer productivity slump: in short…

Summer productivity dips are real and well-documented – in fact, nearly half of UK employees report markedly lower output over summer. The main causes are clustered annual leave, uneven cover, and quietly disengaged staff left holding the fort. The fix is mostly about visibility (who’s off, when), honest workload planning, and making sure the people still at their desks feel noticed, not just relied on.

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Summer arrives, the diary starts filling up with “OOO” and, somehow, the same amount of work still needs doing with fewer people to do it.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not imagining things.

Most line managers notice a genuine dip in team output and energy every summer… But honestly? It’s rarely down to laziness or a lack of commitment. It’s a predictable, seasonal pattern with predictable causes, which means it’s also something you can plan for rather than just survive. In fact, with the right planning, summer time doesn’t have to automatically signal a major dip in productivity or output.

This quick guide looks at why the summer slump happens, and what you can actually do about it day-to-day as the person managing the team, rather than the person writing the policy.

So, why does productivity dip every summer?

It’s usually a combination of things landing at once rather than one single cause.

Annual leave naturally clusters around the school holidays. If you have a team or workforce made up of employees with young children, you can easily end up with three or four people off in the same fortnight. This is especially true if things have not been coordinated properly.

That means the people who are still in are often quietly picking up extra cover work on top of their own, which drains energy fast. Add in warmer weather, lighter evenings and a general sense that “everyone else is on holiday”, and focus takes a hit even among people who haven’t gone anywhere. And it doesn’t stop there…

Throw in a major summer event – like this year’s FIFA World Cup or even the Wimbledon tennis championships – and suddenly, you’ve potentially got a very distracted bunch of people. Now, none of that makes anyone a bad employee. It’s just another layer on top of an already distracted season.

This isn’t just anecdotal, either. A survey of over 1,100 UK workers by the Global Payroll Alliance, reported by HR Magazine, found that 61% of them report decreased productivity during the summer months, with tiredness, uncomfortable office temperatures and difficulty concentrating cited as the main causes. Despite this, only around half of employers were found to be actively taking steps to address it.

All of that means the usual rhythm of the working year for employees gets disrupted. And, as their manager, you’re the one best placed to smooth that out.

How can I manage annual leave clashes without constant back-and-forth?

The biggest time-sink here is usually visibility, not the leave itself.

If you can see at a glance who’s off and when, you can spot a clash before it becomes a problem, rather than discovering it the week before. A shared team calendar or an absence management software system integrated with your HRIS does this far better than a spreadsheet someone forgets to update, because it updates itself as requests come in and get approved.

It’s also worth agreeing a simple, fair rule in advance for busy periods, such as a cap on how many people from one team can be off at the same time. Set it before the summer rush starts, not halfway through it, and make sure everyone understands why it exists. We’ve written more on surviving the summer holiday scramble and the features worth having in your holiday management setup if you want to go deeper on this.

What do I do when half the team’s out and the deadlines haven’t moved?

First off, start by being honest about capacity rather than pretending nothing’s changed.

If you know three people are off next week, that’s the week to push back non-urgent work, not the week to launch something new. Redistribute tasks based on who’s actually got the bandwidth. And, be upfront with stakeholders about realistic timelines rather than quietly hoping it’ll work itself out.

Cross-training pays off here, too. If only one person knows how to do a particular task, their summer holiday becomes everyone else’s problem. A bit of shared knowledge across the team, built up well before summer hits, makes cover far less painful when it’s needed.

How do I keep the people who ARE in the office motivated?

This is the part managers often miss.

It’s easy to assume the team still in the building is fine because they’re not the ones on the beach, but they’re often the ones quietly feeling put upon, or simply bored if the usual pace of work has slowed.

That second one is worth taking seriously. Prolonged under-stimulation at work is sometimes called “rust out”, and it can chip away at motivation just as effectively as being overworked does. We’ve covered this in more detail in our piece on employee rust out, but the short version is that people need a bit of challenge and visibility to stay engaged, even in a quieter month.

Small things help: giving people a stretch task or a bit of project ownership while things are quieter, checking in more often than usual, and genuinely acknowledging when someone’s covered for a colleague. It doesn’t need to be a big gesture. It just needs to be noticed.

So, should I loosen the rules a bit over summer?

Plenty of managers find that a little flexibility, such as an earlier finish on a Friday or more relaxed dress code, goes a long way for very little cost. It signals trust, and trust tends to get reciprocated with effort.

That said, it’s worth checking with HR before rolling anything out formally. Remember: consistency across teams matters and you don’t want one department running by different rules to the one next door…

How can HR software actually make this easier?

A good integrated absence management system takes a lot of the guesswork out of summer scheduling. Real-time visibility of who’s off, self-service leave booking, and automatic checks against your cover rules all mean fewer surprises and less time spent chasing information. It also means fewer awkward moments where you’ve accidentally approved five holidays in the same week without realising.

Our ROI research into absence management and our guide to managing annual leave more easily both go into more detail on those topics.

The takeaway? Failure to prepare is preparing to fail!

The summer slump isn’t a discipline problem, and treating it like one usually backfires. It’s a scheduling and energy problem, and both of those respond well to a bit of planning: clear visibility of who’s off, honest conversations about capacity, and a genuine effort to keep the people still at their desks feeling valued rather than forgotten.

It’s also worth remembering that CIPD guidance on annual leave is clear that regular time off supports wellbeing, motivation and, ultimately, productivity, rather than working against it. Get that right, and summer becomes a quieter, calmer stretch of the year rather than a stretch everyone’s just trying to survive.

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Frequently asked questions we get about supporting more productive summers

Why does team productivity drop in summer?

It’s usually a mix of overlapping annual leave, school holidays, warmer weather and a natural dip in workplace pace, rather than any single cause.

How many people should I allow off at once during summer?

There’s no universal number. It depends on your team’s size and workload, but agreeing a cap or a fair “first come, first served” policy in advance avoids disputes later.

Is it normal for people still in the office to feel resentful during summer?

Yes, and it’s worth addressing directly. Covering for absent colleagues without acknowledgement is one of the fastest ways to dent morale, even when nobody’s done anything wrong.

What’s the difference between burnout and “rust out” during a quieter summer period?

Burnout comes from too much pressure; rust out comes from too little stimulation or challenge. Summer can quietly trigger the second one if workloads drop and nobody notices.

Should I let my team work flexible hours over summer?

Many managers find some flexibility, like an earlier Friday finish, builds goodwill at low cost. However, it’s worth checking this aligns with wider company policy first.

Can absence management software really cut down my admin?

Yes. Real-time visibility of who’s off and automated approval workflows remove a lot of the manual checking and back-and-forth that eats into a manager’s week.

Should I discourage people from taking annual leave in summer to protect output?

No. The CIPD’s own guidance on annual leave is clear that regular breaks support wellbeing, motivation and productivity, so discouraging leave tends to store up bigger problems later. Better planning is a more sustainable fix than restricting time off.

How far in advance should summer leave be booked?

The earlier the better. Encouraging requests well ahead of the school holiday rush gives you far more room to manage clashes fairly.