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Don’t Let Your Top Talent Slip Away This Summer
As the summer holidays approach in Australia, many companies overlook a critical risk: a seasonal spike in employee turnover. While business winds down for the year, your top performers may be reflecting on their wellbeing and careers. Without proactive support, some of your best people might not return after the break.
The Hidden Risk During the Holiday Break
Holiday downtime gives employees much-needed time to reclaim their headspace, which unfortunately for employers, means time for employees to reconsider their jobs. According to research by Robert Half, more than half of Australian hiring managers have had an employee resign within a month of returning from holiday, highlighting how the post-vacation period is one of the riskiest times for talent loss. This post-holiday attrition often catches employers by surprise, as burnout and unresolved frustrations boil over when staff step away from day-to-day pressures.
Younger professionals are especially at risk but it’s not just them. New Allianz Australia research indicates around 2.73 million Australians are likely to consider quitting their job in the next year due to burnout and mental distress. In practice, that means your emerging leaders are weighing their options, and the post-holiday period often becomes the tipping point if wellbeing and work-life balance aren’t addressed.
What’s the takeaway? The holiday break isn’t just a time of rest, it’s a danger zone for talent loss. Employees who feel overworked or unsupported may use their holiday to job-hunt or decide not to return. This hidden risk means leaders must take pre-emptive action to re-engage and support their people before the holidays, not after the damage is done.
The Cost of Burnout and Disengagement
Employee turnover and disengagement carry a steep price tag. When burnout goes unaddressed, it fuels absenteeism, errors, and lower productivity, or worse, pushes people out the door. “Presenteeism,” when staff are at work but not fully productive, costs Australian businesses over $34 billion a year in lost output. In high-pressure industries, those losses are magnified by client service lapses and mistakes made by exhausted employees.
Burnout and disengagement also pose compliance risks. Chronic stress and unsafe workloads are now recognised as workplace hazards. Safe Work Australia’s recent psychosocial safety regulations, require employers to identify and manage mental health risks on the job. In other words, ensuring employees aren’t burning out isn’t just a “nice to have” – it’s a legal duty. Companies that ignore warning signs of burnout or bullying could face penalties under these laws.
In summary, the cost of inaction is high: you pay in lost productivity, in expensive turnover, and potentially in legal exposure. By contrast, investments in employee wellbeing pay off through better engagement and retention – directly strengthening your bottom line.
Why a Complete Employee Wellbeing Solution Matters
Not all employee wellbeing programs are created equal. Traditional Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and wellness apps often take a reactive, one-size-fits-all approach – only a small fraction of staff ever engage with them. In fact, usage rates for standard EAPs hover around just 2–3% of employees. These generic helplines or apps may help in a crisis, but they don’t proactively improve day-to-day health or happiness.
In contrast, a complete employee wellbeing solution – such as the integrated program offered by CU Health – takes a preventive, personalised approach. Clinically led means it’s designed and overseen by medical and psychological professionals, not just software or call-centre contractors. This model combines holistic care (physical, mental, and coaching support) with the credibility of registered health practitioners. The result is dramatically higher engagement and impact: organisations that switch to a clinically-governed platform have seen 8–12× higher employee uptake than a typical EAP.
Equally important, a clinician-led program aligns with today’s compliance landscape. Under updated WHS laws, employers must actively manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace. A wellbeing partner with medical governance helps you meet these obligations by providing evidence-based interventions, risk assessments, and data on workforce mental health. Simply offering a counselling hotline is no longer enough, regulators expect measurable prevention and early intervention. A clinical model delivers that accountability, ensuring your company is not only caring for employees but also fulfilling its psychosocial safety duties.
The Summer Opportunity for Retention
While summer holidays pose retention risks, they also create a prime opportunity to re-engage your workforce. Business typically slows down in December and January – making it the perfect window to double down on employee wellbeing. Instead of waiting for New Year resignations, forward-looking leaders use this period to reset and reinvigorate their teams.
How can you turn summer from a threat into a retention win? First, encourage true rest. Ensure people take their leave and actually disconnect. Model this from the top – when leaders genuinely switch off, employees feel permission to do the same. This helps staff return from holidays recharged, not more exhausted. In turn, well-rested employees are less likely to seek an exit as an escape from burnout.
Second, show employees that their wellbeing will be a priority going into the new year. For example, you might launch a mid-summer wellbeing check-in or provide access to supportive resources before everyone departs for break. This could be as simple as lining up January health webinars, or as robust as rolling out a new employee wellbeing program over the summer lull. When your team sees concrete investments in their health and development, it builds loyalty. They’re reminded that the company cares about them as whole people, not just as workers.
Finally, leverage the reflective nature of the holidays. Ask managers to have stay conversations with key talent before year-end – an informal chat about how the employee is feeling, their goals, and any concerns. This personal outreach can surface issues to address (preventing surprise resignations) and reinforce each person’s importance to the organisation.
Many employees simply want to feel heard and valued; a quick conversation can strengthen their commitment heading into the new year.
Summer doesn’t have to be an attrition season. With thoughtful action, it becomes a time to strengthen bonds. Companies that invest in wellbeing during the quiet months often emerge into the new year with higher morale and lower turnover, while those that ignore the issue may find themselves posting job ads come January.
Proven Impact for Employers
Investing in a comprehensive wellbeing strategy isn’t just good for employees – it delivers measurable returns for employers. Organisations that partner with clinically-led providers like CU Health have reported significant improvements in key performance indicators. For example, companies have achieved:
These outcomes translate directly to business benefits. Higher retention and engagement mean lower recruitment costs and more continuity for clients. Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism drive up productivity and revenue. A stronger culture of wellbeing even feeds into ESG metrics and employer branding, which can help attract new talent.
Crucially, these results are achieved with an efficient use of resources. Traditional one-size-fits-all programs often yield little return on investment, but a targeted, pay-per-use model can be cost-neutral or better when factoring in the savings from even a single prevented resignation or disability claim. In short, the data shows that wellbeing initiatives, when done right, pay for themselves in the form of a healthier, more stable workforce.
Take Action Before the Holidays
With the end-of-year break looming, now is the time to act to protect your talent. Don’t wait until January to discover critical team members have quietly decided to move on. By proactively addressing burnout and engagement today, you can head off the summer attrition wave before it starts.
For a longer-term solution, many forward-thinking Australian companies are turning to a complete employee wellbeing solution, like those offered by CU Health. By partnering with an integrated provider, you can quickly roll out a proven program that employees will actually use and trust. Clinicians can start engaging with your staff over summer – conducting health check-ins, offering confidential counselling or coaching sessions, and helping leaders develop a wellbeing game plan for the new year. This sets a positive tone going into January and demonstrates visible commitment to each individual’s health and growth.
Taking action now isn’t just about avoiding post-holiday resignations. It’s an investment in building a resilient, high-performing organisation. When your people feel cared for and re-energised, they return from break ready to hit the ground running – rather than hitting the job market. You’ll enter the new year with your top talent intact, regulatory bases covered, and a strong foundation for sustained performance.
Don’t let the summer holiday become the season of talent loss. With the right complete employee wellbeing solution strategy in place, you can turn this period into a retention advantage, keeping your best employees happy, healthy, and eager to stay on board for the journey ahead. By acting before the holidays, you’ll ensure 2026 begins not with a staffing crisis, but with a confident team that knows their employer truly has their back.
Put employee wellbeing first with CU Health and cultivate a thriving, resilient workforce ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Reach out to CU Health today.
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