Six Tips for Sustaining Engagement During Summer

Yes, you can maintain momentum during the summer months - it just takes some strategic moves on your part!      

The dog days of summer may feel like the dog days of your team’s engagement, as well.

With vacations, outside adventures, additional family time and responsibilities that aren’t present during the school year, it makes sense that priorities subtly shift at work in response to life “lifeing.” In fact, 49% of workers admit to “dialing it down” at work, drawing firmer boundaries with their time in the summer, according to a recent Glassdoor report. Leading the charge are Gen Z workers, with 64% of the 21 – 25 year olds admitting to taking a step back during the warmer months.

The challenge, of course, is that projects don’t pause, even if people do. Deadlines still exist and mission-driven work never stops mattering. Given these realities, it makes sense that leaders often feel the tension between maintaining momentum and honoring the well-deserved rest their teams need in June, July and August.

While there is no magic bullet to sustain team engagement during the summer slowdown, there are smart micro methods that will support keeping energy and engagement high when people are in office.

Engagement & energy building exercises for managers

1. Take your own time first

The most important thing you can to do sustain engagement during summer is to…take your own time off. Really! Leaders have to practice (model) what they preach in order to create the psychologically safe space for their teams to do the same. It may seem counterintuitive to push vacations when things are already feeling sluggish, but well-rested people are creative and focused when they return. Walk the walk so that your team can run.

Psst! Worried about doing this? We got you: check out last week’s post about logging off like a boss.

2. Reground in “why”

Summer is a great time to return to your company’s core values and the “why” behind your team’s work. Whether it’s celebrating mission wins or sharing impact stories, reconnecting to purpose helps maintain motivation even when deadlines feel distant. The season is also a great time for team members to rate how well they are doing at keeping the reason for the work front and center – and to offer opportunities to recalibrate if necessary.

3. Create micro motivating moments

Keep engagement alive through short, energizing rituals: a Monday “kickstart” huddle, a mid-week check-in with a reflective question, or a Friday shoutout round. It can also help to have monthly team meetings where the group focuses just on fun – no business conversation. These opportunities to share summer plans and other life updates help people reconnect and show up for one another.

4. Fit in flexibility

We know that this word can be triggering to some managers, but flexibility doesn’t mean “free-for-all” - we promise! There are so many ways to loosen things up in summer without sacrificing results. Do summer Fridays make sense for your team? What about meeting-free Mondays? Can you offer a recharge day per month? Whatever you decide to offer in terms of flexibility, ensure you set clear expectations around it, allowing team members to manage their summer fun while still delivering results.

5. Be strategic about skill-building

Summer can be an ideal time for building staff capability. Invite staff to lead peer sessions or bring in a facilitator to provide skill-building. (At Luminal, we have some amazing workshops that fit well into summer cadences, including topics like “Delivering Effective Feedback,” “Leading Through Change” and “Productive Conflict at Work.”) This is also an ideal time to engage in a stepback with each member of the team to reflect on where they are, where they want to be, and what development they need to get there. Remember that engagement deepens when people feel like they’re developing.

6. Get silly

Listen, it’s summer – it’s OK to approach the season with a bit of levity. Can you hold an Office Olympics or create a summer fun challenge that goes until Labor Day? Incorporate Themed Thursdays (or whatever day you have your team meeting!)? Yes, these ideas are a little bit cheesy, but if you acknowledge this and come at them with a spirit of joyfulness, your team will follow suit. After all, adults don’t get summer off…they can at least get summer “on” with a side of silly.