How to deal with workers' summer slumps
UC business professor says seasons can affect employees' productivity
A summer slump featuring a loss in the quantity and quality of work is common, and instead of fretting about it, organizations should just roll with it, a University of Cincinnati business professor told Orlando, Florida-based WKMG's Breakfast With Bridgett.
Scott Dust, an associate management professor at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
Scott Dust, PhD, the Fealy Family Chair in Entrepreneurship and an associate professor in the Department of Management at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, said summertime changes people's psyches. It's seen as a time to rest and reenergize, he said.
Instead of fighting it, organizations can ride the wave of seasonality and align work with the right time, Dust said. Summer can be a good time for training, development and growth.
“Recognize we’re not robots,” Dust said. “You can’t program human beings to have the exact same productivity every day and throughout every season. When you’re equipped with that mindset, start to make some changes strategically that allow you to maximize on the aggregate how everybody’s doing throughout the year. Perhaps in summer focus on development and growth initiatives. Maybe start investing in your culture initiatives perhaps by doing offsites or team development, more training that can get people a little bit more enthusiastic.”
Featured image at top: Man working on his laptop on the beach. Photo/Kemal Esensoy via Unsplash
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Tips to avoid headaches this holiday season
December 15, 2025
A University of Cincinnati migraine expert offered a list of potential headache triggers around the holidays, and how you can try to avoid them, to 91.7 WVXU News. "There are a number of different factors that make this a very headache provocative time," said Vincent Martin, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine and director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the Gardner Neuroscience Institute.
Local couple uses royalties from children's books to give gifts to kids in need
December 15, 2025
A local couple has found a unique way to give back to those in need this holiday season. Vic and Laura Troha wrote two children's books together, and this year, they are using the proceeds to buy Christmas gifts for Hamilton County foster kids. The couple are both graduates of the University of Cincinnati's College of Allied Health Sciences and met the day they graduated.
The hottest toys this holiday season
December 15, 2025
Local 12 turned to Lindner College of Business associate professor-educator of marketing Roseann Hassey to explain what’s got the trendiest items flying off the shelves.