With the holiday season looming, Scottish business leaders are being urged by leading Dundee-based people development company Insights to act now or risk their operations grind to a halt due to the well-known, but often unaddressed “summer slump.”
A new guide has been produced in response to previous research that workplace productivity can decline up to 20% during summer months, while project timelines can lengthen by 13%.
“Too many leaders plan for absence, not impact,” explained David Bowes, Head of People at Insights.
“You’re not just losing a person for two weeks – you may be losing your team’s planner, your motivator, your quiet fixer. These personality gaps can derail performance if they’re not anticipated.”
To help leaders keep performance on track whilst ensuring employees can take a guilt-free, interruption-free break, A Leader’s Guide to Combating the Summer Slowdown is a practical playbook for maintaining team momentum as headcounts fluctuate.
Key recommendations include:
- Don’t just fill seats – fill roles with the right personalities. Identify essential responsibilities and match cover to team strengths.
- Prevent burnout by planning workload balance. Avoid overburdening the few who remain.
- Clarify what’s critical. Set clear boundaries on what needs doing now, next, and later.
- Communicate the gaps. Let the team know what skills or behaviours will be missing during absences, who’s stepping up, and how others can support.
- Empower decision-making. Make sure authority and timelines are clear and pair less confident team members with peers for backup and reassurance.
“Slump-proofing the summer starts well before anyone checks in at the airport,” adds David.
“Smart leaders know the real risk isn’t people taking time off – as employees are entitled to a guilt-free break with family and friends – but the lack of planning for how their absence shifts team dynamics and leaving team members underequipped.”
In Case You Missed It:
The downloadable guide also includes templates for communication planning, tips for building flexible cross-functional teams, and insight into aligning work to people’s natural strengths.
Download “A Leader’s Guide to Combating the Summer Slowdown” now here.
