Summer makes us think of sun, vacation, relaxation, and Human Resources…Wait, what?!?!
The summer months are often a slower time operationally, which can allow management to proactively and strategically focus on other critical aspects of running a successful business, such as Human Resources. If summer is your busy season, consider these activities during your business’ slower season.
Most companies have been impacted by changes in the economy, labor market, legal regulations, and other factors, as well as variations in their internal structure, demands, operations, and so forth. While every year experiences fluctuations of this kind, successful businesses take the time to reflect and reevaluate along the way. Dedicating time during these quieter months of summer can have a significant impact for the rest of the year.
Review your year-to-date progress. Consider achievements, budget, goals, and key metrics at the company, department, team, and individual levels and adjust your strategies and plans as needed to stay on track. If you made your 2025 plans six months ago, it’s likely that things have changed, including new challenges, different personnel, increased expenditures, and evolving priorities. Take the time to honestly evaluate where you are and where you need to be – what has been accomplished or should be adjusted, delayed, or cancelled, and how does that impact everything and everyone else? Look not only at your own goals but those of the company, your department, and your employees to ensure everyone is moving in the right direction to finish the year strong.
Conduct mid-year check-ins with employees. Just like you should be taking the time to see where you are year-to-date, you should expect your employees to do the same. Are they on track with their professional and personal goals? Are they ahead of target and need to focus on another goal? Do their aspirations still align with the organization? Are they happy? Do they have concerns? Take the time to talk with them and plan what is needed to advance your stars, resolve your problems, and retain everyone else as a cohesive team.
Assess your employment strategy. Your workforce needs and composition may change due to fluctuations in operations or sales, employee personal needs, budgetary restrictions, or regulatory requirements. Now is a great time to review your workforce to plan for the rest of the year proactively. Do you have the correct number of employees? Are any employees expected to leave your workforce either permanently or temporarily? Are your recruiting methods, starting salary, benefits, hiring process, and other factors attracting the right candidates for the jobs you have or want to have?
Review your handbook, policies, and procedures, and update them as needed. Changing regulations and best practices often necessitate updates to your policies and procedures. Have your handbook reviewed and updated now to ensure it is compliant on January 1, when many new laws go into effect. Assess what other regulatory changes (i.e., pay transparency, ban-the-box, paid leave, paid sick time, marijuana legalization, etc.) may require updating your procedures, forms, or documents or notifying employees either directly or through updated posters and notices.
Review employee files, especially I-9s. A regular review of employee files can ensure compliance with regulations, as well as ensure you have complete files on every employee and that active and terminated files are handled appropriately. With the recent urgency for Form I-9 compliance, it is a great time to do an internal audit of those forms and procedures, even if you do not have time to review the entire employee file.
Provide employees with updates on their paid time off. Paid time off (often referred to as PTO, vacation, sick, and/or personal time) is a valuable benefit that most companies offer either voluntarily or as mandated by state laws. Remind employees of how much PTO they have used so far and have to use for the remainder of the year, as well as what will happen if they do not use all of their PTO by the end of the benefit year (Will it be carried over, paid out, lost?). Recommend they submit PTO requests as soon as possible, especially for time off around holidays or for known medical procedures. This will help you better plan for upcoming workforce fluctuations.
Begin planning for the upcoming major initiatives scheduled for later in the year. Take time now to start preparing for the big projects you know are coming to save time and stress at the deadline. You can start working on open enrollment documents now. Review employee compensation to begin planning for raises and bonuses; even better, have a market analysis and/or pay review done so you know you are where you want and need to be to compete in today’s labor market and retain top talent. Consider introducing a Total Rewards Statement into your year-end process which will be easier if you start planning now.
Allow employees some flexibility to refocus for the upcoming year and challenges. While not a permanent fix to any problems and not possible in every organization, consider offering your employees some flexibility or relaxation during this time. Consider flexible scheduling options, such as four-day workweeks, shorter workdays on Mondays or Fridays, or alternating between remote and in-office workdays. Relax the dress code to allow jeans, capris, or dress shorts with nice sneakers or dress sandals. Plan fun days such as potlucks, picnics, outings, community service, or family days. Using this time to build goodwill with your employees can pay big dividends for the busier times to come.
Take advantage of some “me time” to recharge. Once the summer wraps up, we will still have four often-hectic months to finish out the year. Use some of this quieter time to focus on you. Take time off, in either whole or partial days. Plan time with family and friends, or do something you enjoy. Look for professional development opportunities to further your knowledge and recharge your passion for your work.
If you’d like help tackling these summer HR priorities—or don’t have the time or in-house expertise—our team can meet you where you are. Whether it’s updating handbooks, auditing I-9s, planning compensation strategies, or building employee engagement, we offer year-round support, compliance guidance, and actionable tools to help you finish strong. Let The Workplace Advisors be your strategic HR partner—so you’re always prepared, no matter the season.
By Paige McAllister
The Workplace Advisors, Vice President of Compliance
