By David Bowes, Head of People, Insights
Summer’s here, which means holidays, quieter inboxes (in theory), and a chance for everyone to catch their breath. But let’s be honest: for finance professionals, the season also brings a familiar challenge – things slow down, people disappear, and momentum takes a hit.
You’ve probably seen it yourself that deadlines stretch, projects get stuck, messages go unanswered. On the other side you’ve likely been on holiday checking emails and worrying that deadlines will be met back in the office and that the right decisions will be made in your absence.
That mid-year slump isn’t just in your head. Research shows that over summer:
- Productivity drops by up to 20%
- Turnaround times slow by 13%
- Attendance dips nearly 20%
- And people are almost 50% more likely to be distracted
The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way. With a bit of forward planning, finance leaders can keep the engine running without burning people out or bothering someone while they’re trying to enjoy some family time.
Here’s how to get ahead of the summer slowdown:
1. Think about who’s off, not just how many
It’s easy to look at a holiday calendar and count how many people are out. But the bigger question is: which people? Is your spreadsheet wizard off for two weeks? What about your go-to decision maker?
If you know your team’s strengths (and how they work), you can plan for those gaps. Tools like Insights Discovery (which maps people’s work styles and communication preference using the language of colour) are great for this, but even a simple team conversation can help.
Create a shared “who-does-what” board with everyone’s key responsibilities and what they bring to the table. It’s a helpful reference when someone’s out and the team will understand each other’s roles better.
2. Don’t let decisions grind to a halt
Summer often kills momentum because the person who usually makes the call isn’t around. Then suddenly everything’s “on hold” for two weeks.
Map out decisions that could come up and decide now who can step in. Be clear on:
- What they’re allowed to approve
- What the timeframe is
- Who they can lean on for advice
Even just giving someone temporary “ownership” helps them feel trusted and keeps things moving.
3. Spread the load (without overloading)
When someone’s off, it’s tempting to hand their to-do list to whoever’s still around. But if you’re not careful, you’ll overload your most reliable people and they’ll quietly start resenting it.
Do a quick workload review:
- What actually needs to happen while someone’s gone?
- What can wait until they’re back?
- Who’s best placed to pick things up temporarily?
Use a simple “Now / Next / Later” breakdown so nothing gets lost — and nobody gets buried.
4. Plan for team dynamics, not just task coverage
Finance teams run on more than just numbers – personality plays a role too. If your detail-focused person, negotiator or technical expert is off, who’s going to step into that mindset? If your cheerleader is away, what happens to morale?
Talk openly about what might be missing while someone’s gone and who can help fill the gap. It’s not about replacing people, it’s about being ready to adapt. This kind of transparency builds trust, which goes a long way during busy periods.
5. Make summer better for the people who aren’t away
It’s easy to focus on the people taking time off, but what about the team holding the fort? If they feel forgotten (or worse, dumped on), motivation will nosedive.
Find small ways to say thank you. For example:
- Early finishes on Fridays
- A longer lunch break once a week
- A message from leadership calling out good work
6. Build some agility while things are (relatively) calm
Summer is the perfect time to fix a classic finance issue: the single point of failure. That person who’s the only one who knows how to run a crucial system.
Start a mini knowledge transfer project:
- Ask each team member to document one key process
- Store it somewhere shared and accessible
- Pair people up to cross-train each other
It doesn’t take long and it makes the team more resilient all year round.
Let people switch off properly
This might be the most important point: when someone’s on holiday, let them be on holiday. No emails. No Teams pings. No “quick question” messages.
That only works if you’ve planned ahead, delegated properly, and built enough flexibility into the team to cope.
When you do that people on leave come back properly rested, they feel respected and supported and the wheels keep turning
If you want more on this you can check out our full Leader’s Guide to Combatting the Summer Slowdown, packed with practical tools you can use straight away.
