Summer is motivating for most people.
Unless you are covering for three colleagues who are currently posting beach photos.
For many deskless teams, summer is a strange period. Half the team is on holiday. The other half is working harder than usual. And somehow the work still needs to get done.
A few things that seem to help:
1️⃣ Run a summer competition with a prize people actually care about. A round of ice cream for the shift with the fewest errors. A Friday afternoon off for the team that hits the weekly target. Small stakes, genuine excitement.
2️⃣ Rotate the jobs nobody wants. Everyone knows which tasks they are. Summer is long enough for resentment to build if the same people get stuck with them every week.
3️⃣ Check in more, not less. Managers tend to ease off over summer. Deskless workers notice. A short walk around the floor or a quick message costs nothing and signals that someone is paying attention.
4️⃣ Celebrate small wins out loud. A shoutout for a good shift, a solved problem or simply showing up consistently goes further than you think when half the team is away and the other half is tired.
5️⃣ Ask one question every week and actually listen to the answer. How is the workload? What is getting in your way? What would make next week better?
Most engagement initiatives are designed for normal periods.
Summer isn’t one.
The people who stayed deserve attention too.