Schools have closed for the summer. Ice lollies are a staple food group. It’s the hottest summer on record (again), and the collective energy is somewhere between “sun-drenched bliss” and “deep existential fatigue.”

And somewhere in the middle of it all, the cracks in your culture are starting to show.

Half the team is away, whether it’s Cornwall, Menorca, or just off-grid and offline, and the rest are heat-frazzled and juggling childcare.

And suddenly, a workplace that felt connected and energetic in spring feels… off. But here’s the thing: If summer is breaking your culture, it was already cracked.

This season doesn’t create chaos; it just reveals what’s underneath when the usual structure fades. When presence drops and routines break, what’s left behind?

That’s the culture.

Just the actual, emotional mechanics of how your team works, or in many instances, doesn’t.

1. Does trust get shakier when people aren’t visibly working?
2. Do leaders freeze when the normal rhythm disappears?
3. Maybe well-being starts to feel like a nice idea, not an active priority.

These aren’t summer problems. These are design problems.

Here’s the truth no one wants to hear: If your culture only works when everyone’s in, engaged, and on form, it’s not really working.

]The future of work (the one we keep talking about in think pieces and strategy decks) shouldn’t hinge on visibility. It hinges on emotional intelligence. On systems that flex rather than asking people to stretch themselves to the limit, again and again.

In our opinion, the answer isn’t another internal comms push or a last-minute wellbeing webinar. It’s about how your culture is built, underneath it all.

• Can people step back without guilt or suspicion?
• Do managers know how to lead through quiet, murky patches?
• Does trust stay steady even when the energy doesn’t?

Real culture holds steady in the off-season. It doesn’t need the room to be full or the vibe to be high. It’s sustainable, not seasonal.

So if things feel a little wobbly right now, don’t wait for September to sort it. Use this time to ask, what’s genuinely working and what’s being masked by momentum? Because it’s during this quieter summer period (heatwave, holidays and all) that gives you a rare glimpse into the soul of your workplace. Don’t waste it.