Summer should be the season of rest and real recovery, not inbox anxiety and Teams meetings by the pool. Yet, for many employees, switching off over the summer remains a serious challenge.
A recent study from SD Worx found that over half of UK employees (56%) say they feel guilty for taking time off, and many admit to working during their holidays to avoid letting the team down.
As HR professionals, this presents a clear challenge: how can we create the conditions for employees to take meaningful time off without guilt and without leaving the rest of the business overstretched and feeling that they are being taken advantage of?
At Insights, we believe the answer lies in proactive planning, open communication, and intentional role design. Our Leader’s Guide to Combating the Summer Slowdown provides a personality-based approach to reducing stress, protecting productivity in teams, and enabling true disconnection.
Here are 6 ways in which HR can lead the charge.
1. Make “switching off” the norm, not the exception
If your culture subtly rewards over-availability, employees will hesitate to log off, even when they’re technically on holiday.
Model top-down behaviour by encouraging senior leaders to truly unplug. Set clear expectations in internal messaging: holidays are for rest, not for answering emails. Reinforce that proactive planning is what the organisation values.
2. Map out critical roles and responsibilities in advance
Many holiday-related issues arise not because someone is away, but because no one knows who to go to instead. That ambiguity causes stress on both sides: the person on leave feels they have to check in to make decisions, while others are afraid to take initiative.
Support leaders in building a decision delegation map. Clarify who’s empowered to make which calls during someone’s absence and create backup plans for key deliverables. This helps prevent the dreaded “Can you just quickly…” messages mid-break.
3. Ease the burden on those who stay behind
The summer slump is real. Research shows productivity drops by up to 20% during summer, and engagement often dips as attendance fluctuates. But it doesn’t have to spiral.
Work with managers to conduct workload impact reviews. Encourage teams to:
- Identify high-priority tasks
- Balance the workload across team members fairly
- Delay or deprioritise non-urgent projects where possible
Avoid defaulting to the most “reliable” or “willing” employees every time as it leads to burnout.
4. Encourage knowledge sharing to build team resilience
When one person holds all the knowledge, they inevitably get contacted during their break. That’s a process failure, not a people failure.
Facilitate cross-training and encourage teams to document key processes. Share these resources in a central location and make it a standard part of summer planning. The more agile your teams are, the easier it is for everyone to step up and step away.
5. Don’t just manage absence, manage morale
Those covering for colleagues often feel the pressure, especially if their efforts go unnoticed. Recognition can be a powerful antidote to the summer slump.
Encourage managers to thank individuals personally. Offer micro-perks (e.g. early finishes, casual dress days, long lunches). Highlight team wins in weekly updates or internal comms. Let your people know that holding the fort is appreciated.
6. Celebrate proper holidays as part of high performance
When employees return refreshed, everyone benefits: they’re more creative, focused, and resilient. The key is making that recovery time sacred. Use internal campaigns to normalize and celebrate full disconnection. Share success stories of well-managed team cover. Highlight how planning helped a team member truly relax, and how the business didn’t miss a beat.
For HR, the goal this summer shouldn’t just be to survive the slowdown — it should be to remove the guilt from taking a break. When people know the business has their back, they return recharged and ready. When they don’t, they return tired and resentful.
So ask yourself: are your systems designed to support genuine disconnection? If not, now’s the time to act.
David brings 16 years of experience operating as Chief People Officer for global companies to his role at Insights. David is a leader in organisational design and performance with more than 25 years’ experience helping companies to grow and scale. He is currently Head of People at Insights Learning and Development focused on delivering exceptional employee experiences.
- David Bowes
