23 Jul 2026

5 ways to keep employees active and engaged this summer

Summer heatwaves present an opportunity for employers to promote healthier, outdoors activities.

With longer days, warmer weather and the pull of holidays, summer can be a challenging time to maintain focus at work.

Teams are often juggling annual leave, childcare and shifting priorities – and when temperatures rise, it’s possible that energy levels may dip too.

In fact, according to 2025 research, 61% of workers reported deceased productivity during the summer months.

Consistent habits

For employers, this seasonal shift presents an opportunity. Rather than pushing against it, employers can encourage their staff to spend more time outdoors and build regular movement into their day – which can help sustain both their wellbeing and productivity.

With Vitality’s Britain’s Healthiest Workplace Report finding that, in 2023, compared to employees not at risk, physically inactive employees lose 28% more productive time, supporting small, consistent habits could make a meaningful difference.

Here are five simple ways to help your people stay active and energised this summer:

Encourage active commuting: Better weather creates the perfect conditions to rethink the pre- and post-work commute. Employers can encourage employees to get off the bus, tube or train a stop early and walk, run or cycle for part of their journey. More active commuting can help support both physical and mental wellbeing and offer a natural buffer between home and work at the same time.
Offer flexible or early finishes: Summer is often when employees feel the greatest pull towards life outside of work. Employers could offer staff more flexibility such as adjusted hours or early Friday finishes in the summer months. Giving employees time to rest, recharge and spend more time outdoors doing the things they enjoy, whether it’s a round of golf after work or a bike ride around the park, could help improve work-life balance and boost morale too.
Start team activities: While running clubs are common, introducing cycling clubs and other movement-focused groups can appeal to a wider range of abilities and interests. These don’t need to be formally introduced; a casual after-work cycle or lunchtime bike ride can help to build momentum and also strengthen colleague connections across teams.
Take meetings outdoors: Swapping a meeting room for a walking route can be a simple but effective change to help break up sedentary time, encourage more open conversations, and provide a refreshing change of scenery. They’re particularly effective for one-to-ones or informal catchups that don’t require a laptop or screen, where a less structured setting can lead to more open and honest discussions.
Introduce step challenges: In the workplace, a bit of friendly competition can go a long way. Step-based challenges are easy to implement across office-based, remote and hybrid teams and are a good way to involve employees across your workforce. Whether it’s a cross-department step contest or a company-wide push to reach a shared goal, employers could set a collective walking distance for their team to cover. This not only encourages employees to spend more time outdoors and get their steps in but, over time, it can help to transform one-off actions into lasting habits.