Holiday clubs, heatwaves and HR: A manager’s guide to the six-week scramble

It’s that time of the year again. The final school bells are ringing, the six-week countdown has begun, and if recent weather trends are anything to go by, we are staring down the barrel of a proper British summer heatwave.

As managers, this season tests our scheduling skills to the absolute limit. We have team members trying to puzzle out “childcare tetris” – juggling 9:00 am to 3:00 pm holiday clubs with a full working day – all while trying to keep productive in an office or spare room that feels like an oven.

It’s stressful for them, which means it can be challenging for us. But with a bit of proactive planning and some practical HR strategy, we can support our working parents, stay fully legally compliant, and keep our team’s performance steady.

Here is how we can constructively manage the summer crunch without losing our cool.

The legal and HR stuff 

Before we start shifting schedules around, we need to make sure we are staying on the right side of UK employment law and internal policies. Keeping things consistent is key to ensuring everyone is treated fairly and avoiding any unexpected issues down the line.

• Formal vs. informal flexibility: If a team member needs a permanent change to their contract, they must submit a formal flexible working request (which is a day-one right in the UK). Remember, as a business, you legally cannot turn down a formal request without holding a mandatory consultation meeting with the employee first. For temporary summer adjustments, you can look at informal, short-term agreements—just ensure you document them clearly.
• Time off for dependents: Legally, statutory time off for dependents is strictly for unexpected emergencies (e.g., a child falls ill or a summer camp abruptly cancels). It is usually unpaid unless company policy states otherwise. It shouldn’t be used to cover planned, predictable childcare gaps.
• Consistency across the board: While we want to support parents, we have to ensure workload distribution remains fair so non-parents don’t feel put upon. However, avoid rigid, blanket “no flexibility” rules across the whole team to look equal. Because primary childcare still statistically falls heavily on women, blanket bans can inadvertently risk indirect sex discrimination. Assess every request individually on its own operational merits.

Tackling the heatwave: Duty of Care

When a heatwave strikes, it doesn’t just make everyone sluggish—it triggers our health and safety obligations as managers. Under UK law, we have a duty of care to ensure a safe working environment.

While there is no legal maximum temperature for a workplace, the law states that temperatures must be “reasonable.” If the office is stifling, or if your remote employees are struggling in top-floor flats, we need to take action:

• Relax the dress code: If you usually require smart-casual or formal wear, suspend it. Let people wear comfortable, cool clothing.
• Keep it cool: Ensure office fans are distributed, blinds are drawn early in the day, and chilled water is readily available.
• Flexible hours for the heat: If someone is working from home under a baking hot roof, allow them to split their hours to work during the cooler parts of the morning or evening.

Actionable management strategies for the six weeks

We don’t need to lower our performance bars during the summer, but we can make the track a bit more adaptable.

1. Shift to an outcomes-based focus

If there was ever a time to ditch strict clock-watching, it’s now. Focus ruthlessly on whether deadlines are being met and high-quality work is being produced, rather than exactly when someone is sitting at their desk. If a parent needs to log off at 3:00 pm to pick up their kids from a holiday club and finishes their deliverables later that evening, let them.

2. Establish “core collaboration hours”

Continuous notifications and unexpected ad-hoc huddles can throw a parent’s carefully managed summer schedule into chaos. Try establishing a team agreement where critical meetings and collaborative sessions only happen between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Outside of these hours, let your team work asynchronously without the fear of missing an urgent update.

3. Lead by example to break the stigma

Many parents feel a deep sense of professional shame when their personal life overlaps with their work life. We can break this stigma by setting the tone ourselves. If a child pops into the background of an online meeting, acknowledge them warmly and keep going. When you block out time in your public calendar for family commitments or a quick school drop-off, you give your team implicit permission to manage their lives honestly too.

Need a hand balancing compliance and flexibility this summer?

Managing seasonal shifts, shifting to outcomes-based work, and updating policies to stay compliant with employment law changes can feel like a minefield—especially for small businesses, third-sector organisations, and schools without a massive, dedicated corporate HR department.

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

At Citizens Advice LeicesterShire, we provide expert, standalone independent HR support tailored precisely to your budget, with absolutely no rigid retainer or membership fees required. We can help you:

• Review and update your policies: Ensure your flexible working, remote/hybrid working, and health and safety policies meet the latest legal standards.
• Support your line managers: Give your managers the tools and confidence they need to handle summer requests fairly, consistently, and legally.
• Resolve workplace friction: Intervene early before minor seasonal scheduling headaches turn into costly team conflicts.

Ready to find the flow in your team? Get high-level, practical HR expertise rooted right here in our local community to protect your team’s morale and your business’s compliance.

🔗 Discover our HR Support for Employers at Citizens Advice LeicesterShire