The Summer Slowdown Is Becoming An FM Challenge

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• The Summer Slowdown Is Becoming An FM Challenge

04 August 2026 | Updated 03 August 2026

Tom Baxter, Managing Director at Just Eat for Business, discusses managing fluctuating summer occupancy is FM's top challenge, but thoughtful workplace food fosters collaboration and attendance.

Every summer brings a familiar shift in workplace rhythms. Annual leave increases, routines become less predictable and offices naturally become quieter. While these seasonal patterns are nothing new, hybrid working has changed what they mean for facilities managers. Fluctuating occupancy now has a greater impact on how workplaces function, making it harder to maintain the sense of energy and connection that encourages employees to spend time together. Food, and how it’s used, is quietly becoming one of the most effective tools facilities teams have to counter this, creating purposeful moments that encourage employees to spend time together and make the office feel more worthwhile.

Previous research, published by the Global Payroll Alliance in 2025, found that 61% of employees feel less productive during the summer months. For facilities teams, however, the bigger challenge is maintaining momentum when attendance becomes increasingly fragmented. A quieter office can quickly become a less engaging one, particularly if employees arrive expecting opportunities to collaborate only to find colleagues working elsewhere. Over time, that experience can influence future attendance decisions just as much as any workplace policy, making the moments that bring people together – whether around collaboration, meetings or shared meals – increasingly important.

One of the biggest operational challenges during the summer is that occupancy becomes much harder to predict. Hybrid working has already made attendance less consistent across the week, and annual leave adds another layer of uncertainty. For facilities teams, this affects everything from planning food provision and cleaning schedules to meeting room demand and wider workplace services. Planning for these fluctuations means thinking not only about resources, but also about when shared workplace moments will have the greatest impact. This requires closer collaboration between facilities, workplace and HR teams, with decisions increasingly informed by attendance patterns rather than assumptions.

Facilities management is no longer simply about ensuring buildings run efficiently. Increasingly, it's about creating environments that help people make the most of the time they spend together. During the summer, when attendance is naturally less consistent, that responsibility becomes even more important. Rather than asking how to eliminate the seasonal slowdown, facilities leaders may benefit from asking a different question: how can the workplace continue to feel collaborative even when fewer people are using it?

Getting this right often comes down to timing rather than spend, and workplace food is a good example. Historically viewed as an operational service, many organisations are now using catering more deliberately to support the wider workplace experience. A team breakfast ahead of a planning session, lunch during a collaboration day or shared catering around a project milestone can do more to shape attendance than a blanket policy ever will, creating natural opportunities for colleagues to connect and giving employees a clear reason to be in the office. Employees are quick to notice when time in the office has a clear purpose, and just as quick to notice when it doesn't.

Food won't transform workplace culture on its own, but it is one of the few touchpoints every employee shares. Used thoughtfully, it can encourage informal interaction, strengthen team relationships and make time spent in the office feel more rewarding. Employees recognise its value too. Our “More Than a Meal Report” found that 67% say they would feel more valued if their employer provided food at work, while 59% say it would make them more likely to recommend their workplace to others. For facilities managers, these findings reinforce the broader point that relatively small operational decisions can have a meaningful impact on how employees experience the workplace.

None of this requires a large shift in strategy. It's less about adding new initiatives and more about being deliberate with the ones already in place, choosing the right day for a team lunch, or making sure catering lines up with the moments that help bring people together, rather than running on autopilot through the quieter months.

The quieter summer months also offer an opportunity to evaluate what is – and isn't – working. Many facilities teams treat summer as a period to simply get through, rather than a useful window for observation. Yet, because attendance is more varied at this time of year, it can offer a clearer picture of genuine preference rather than habit or routine. With attendance patterns changing week by week, facilities teams can better understand how employees use communal spaces, which workplace services add the greatest value and where relatively small changes could improve the overall experience. These insights can help shape workplace strategies long after the summer has ended.

The summer slowdown isn't a problem to be solved, it's a test of whether the office earns its place in people's week at all. The facilities teams getting this right aren't necessarily investing more. They’re paying closer attention to how people use the workplace and using those insights to build offices people choose to spend time in, all year round.

Picture: An image of Tom Baxter, Managing Director at Just Eat for Business.

Article written by Tom Baxter | Published 04 August 2026

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