• Almost half (48%) of UK organisations described this summer as more challenging than usual for workforce-related disruption, with one in five (20%) stating it was the most challenging summer since the pandemic
  • Nearly a quarter (24%) of UK businesses lost revenue or incurred additional staffing costs as a result, demonstrating that summer workforce pressures are having a tangible impact on business performance
  • The experience is prompting UK businesses to rethink how work gets done, with 79% saying they are implementing, or considering implementing changes to how work is planned and delivered following the workforce pressures experienced during summer 2026

Bristol, UK, 2nd September 2026 – Almost half of UK businesses (48%) report experiencing a more challenging summer than usual for workforce-related disruption according to new research from Zellis. For nearly a quarter (24%) of UK businesses this resulted in lost revenue or additional staffing costs, with a further 41% of organisations reporting increased workloads, stress, burnout or sickness absence amongst staff and 38% stating managers or senior leaders had to step in and cover frontline roles.

Against a backdrop of a slowing UK economy, workforce disruption is becoming increasingly difficult for organisations to manage and respond to. ONS data shows GDP growth slowed to 0.4% in the second quarter of 2026, from 0.6% in the first, adding further pressure on organisations to protect productivity and performance.

This summer brought those pressures into sharp relief. Increased annual leave, major events such as the World Cup and the UK’s hottest summer on record combined to put already-stretched teams under even greater strain.

According to Zellis’ research, the result is that almost half (48%) of UK organisations describe this summer as more challenging than usual when it comes to workforce disruption. 

  • One in five (20%) said it was the most challenging summer since the pandemic.
  • Over two in five (41%) reported increased workloads, stress, burnout or sickness absence amongst staff.
  • Over a third (38%) said managers or senior leaders had to personally step in to cover junior, frontline or operational work.
  • 16% experienced payroll, scheduling or other workforce administration errors.

Abigail Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer at Zellis, said:

What stands out from these findings is that summer 2026 workforce pressures didn’t just create a difficult few weeks for organisations. For some, they translated into lost revenue, higher staffing costs and increased pressure on both employees and managers.

Abigail continued:

“Every organisation expects to manage periods of disruption. But, when annual leave, major events and extreme weather collide, it exposes where existing ways of organising work can struggle to keep up. The answer isn’t simply to get better at managing disruption, but to use these moments to rethink and redesign how work gets done. That could mean removing unnecessary friction from workflows, giving managers better visibility to plan ahead, or using technology to take routine work off already-stretched teams. Doing so can help organisations build greater resilience when circumstances change.”

For many organisations surveyed, this workforce disruption is already prompting them to consider longer-term changes – with four in five (79%) saying they are implementing or considering implementing changes to how work is planned and delivered.

Abigail added:

We commissioned this research to better understand how periods of workforce disruption affect businesses, but also what organisations can learn from them. The fact that so many organisations are looking at making changes as a result shows that this summer has prompted businesses to think differently about how they operate. The opportunity now is to go beyond short-term fixes and redesign work around the reality organisations and their people face today, building greater flexibility and resilience into how work is planned and delivered.