Summer on the Central Coast brings a unique rhythm. Waves of heavy morning fog change the landscape alongside an influx of tourists around town, kids out of school, and a packed regional events calendar. While this makes the Central Coast a vibrant place to live, it can also subtly affect employees’ motivation and focus. Between navigating childcare schedules, changes in routines, and a natural case of “summer fever,” your team has a lot on their minds.
As a business owner or manager, how do you embrace the season with your staff without losing productivity? Here are 11 ideas to strengthen your company culture during the summer months–while keeping business goals on track.
1. Take Meetings “Al Fresco”
If your workplace setting allows, swap the conference room for an outdoor walking meeting or meeting at a nearby park. We live in a beautiful place and getting out in the fresh air and nature can break up routine stagnation, lower stress, and boost creative thinking.
- Ideas: Plan a team meeting outside at Custom House Plaza in Monterey, San Lorenzo Park in Santa Cruz, or Devendorf Park in Carmel.
2. Support the Working Parent Summer Scramble
For employees with kids, summer can be a logistical puzzle of camp drop-offs and childcare gaps. Personal schedules that change on a week-to-week basis are difficult for your employees to manage, and can create reliability and productivity challenges for you.
- The HR Approach: Proactively have a conversation with your working parents about setting reasonable boundaries while allowing for summer flexibility. Consider establishing “core hours” where everyone must be online, allowing them to slide their remaining hours earlier or later to accommodate changing schedules.
3. Provide Mid-Week Morale Boosters
Big regional events (like the California Rodeo Salinas or Monterey Car Week) mean your team is either working hard in hospitality and retail, or dealing with increased local traffic in their work commute. Give them a reason to look forward to the middle of the week and bring local flavor to the office. The options are endless, but the idea is to surprise your team with an unexpected treat and mid-week morale boost.
- Ideas: Bring in a flat of farmers’ market strawberries for a “build your own shortcake” break, host a mid-week lunch featuring a local taco truck, or surprise the team with an afternoon iced coffee run from a local roaster.
4. Offer Brain Breaks for In-Office Teams
Giving your staff regular brain breaks is a valuable tool to prevent employee burnout, especially during the busy summer tourist season. A few ideas include:
- Partner with a local yoga or mindfulness instructor to host a 30-minute brain break. The instructor can teach simple desk stretches to relieve neck and back tension, followed by a short meditation. Make the session optional but open to all employees.
- Encourage short 10-minute walking breaks in the day to reduce stress and increase energy. Lead by example, and enjoy the time to connect with your team.
5. Cultivate “Wellness Wednesdays” (or Any Day of the Week)
Healthy, happy employees are inherently more productive. Use the summer months to actively nurture your team’s well-being with consistent workplace wellness initiatives.
- Set aside a quiet room for 15 minutes a week for a voluntary guided meditation using a popular app or YouTube channel.
- Create a hydration station with fresh berries, sliced cucumbers, citrus, and mint for infusing water.
- Promote mental health days and actively encourage employees to use PTO to take a day off when they need it.
- Support ergonomic work spaces and guidance for employees on desk posture and tips to avoid injuries.
- Encourage your employees to get outdoors and take a walk during break time or lunch near the office with a regularly scheduled “walking day.”
6. Create Friendly Summer Games
To avoid a summer slump, inject some friendly competition to spike your team’s energy and tie the winning prize to a fun summer experience.
- For example, run a summer sprint competition with a clear, achievable team goal (such as hitting a specific sales target, serving a number of customers, or clearing out a case backlog.)
- Reward the winning team with tickets to a local event such as a Monterey Bay FC soccer game or a day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Or, reward your entire staff with a fully catered picnic or lunch out – and a half-day off. They will appreciate the gift of time.
7. Host A Company Volunteer Day
A shared company service project is a great team building activity. Provide employees a half-day of paid volunteer time and partner with an organization that impacts the community, such as a local beach or park cleanup. Giving back provides a powerful sense of purpose, gets the team moving outdoors, and allows employees to feel great about the company they work for.
8. Consider Flexible Fridays
When it’s 75 degrees in Carmel or Santa Cruz and the weekend is looming, there’s a temptation to mentally check out early on Fridays. By implementing a “summer hours” schedule, employers can maximize their team’s focus during the week and reward productivity with a flexible Friday schedule. This option depends on your core business and may not work for all, but the idea is centered on flexibility. To stay compliant, be sure to check with your company’s HR professional before implementing a new summer schedule. Ideas for flexible Fridays:
- Offer a summer option for employees to leave 2-4 hours earlier on Friday, if deliverables are met and the employee has made up those hours between Monday–Thursday.
- Allow employees flexibility in how they complete their work hours, such as starting their day earlier or taking a 2-hour break mid-day. Establish ground rules for communicating the flex schedule.
- For in-office teams, allow employees to work from home on Fridays with pre-arranged “core hours.”
9. Set Aside Time to Unwind Together
From an HR perspective, giving employees space to bond outside of work agendas is a powerful tool for building connections and boosting retention. Providing opportunities for your team to socialize helps to prevent employee burnout and strengthens peer relationships. For gatherings held after work hours, clearly communicate that attendance is optional.
- Ideas: Host a catered family picnic with low-stakes relay races, a beach bonfire night (inviting significant others and kids), a board game event, a local coastal trail walk, or a parking lot pickleball tournament.
10. Conduct Summer Check-Ins
Use the summer season to schedule informal, one-on-one check-ins with your staff that focus entirely on the employee rather than immediate project updates. Taking time for proactive, supportive communication helps to establish long-term trust and loyalty and ensures that your employees feel valued.
- Keep it simple and guide the discussion with just two or three questions, such as “How can we better support you during this busy season?” or “What projects are you most energized by right now?” or “What do you find challenging and what do you enjoy the most in your job?”
11. Lean into the Local Fun
With all of the things to do this summer in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, you can be an inspiration source and share the local fun for your teams and keep them engaged in the community. From posting event calendars in the break room or assigning a staff “social chair” to give monthly email updates, sharing local events helps to celebrate the season.
There are many sources for finding local events, including these websites:
County of Monterey Summer Events Calendar
Monterey County Weekly Event Calendar
How to Shift Your Company Culture in the Summer
Keeping your team motivated through the summer season doesn’t require a massive budget or a sacrifice in productivity. By acknowledging the unique local challenges of summer and offering strategic flexibility, you can build a resilient, highly-engaged culture that sustains your organization all year long.
Need guidance on implementing HR policies for flexible work or staying compliant with shifting California labor laws? Reach out to Envision Initiative to set your business up for success.
About the Author:
Molly Lorenzi is a certified California attorney and co-founder of Envision Initiative, an outsourced HR services firm that helps Central Coast businesses stay compliant, engaging, and positioned for long-term success. She’s passionate about helping her clients navigate complex HR challenges and ever-changing regulations with confidence.