As the warm weather sets in and the sun continues to shine past 8pm, working in the office on a Friday afternoon in the summer can be a struggle. Productivity slows and completing even the smallest tasks can seem impossible. The average worker may wish they could get outside, soak up the sunshine and enjoy these precious summer months.
Experts say the concept of summer Fridays and flextime has been around for years and is popular in some European countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, US companies have taken special measures to introduce summer Fridays in the workplace.
Summer Fridays are one of the many ways companies are respecting their employees' need for better work-life balance.
What is Summer Friday?
Summer Fridays is a benefit offered to employees by some companies in the United States that allows them to leave work early on Friday afternoons during the summer. The benefit usually starts on Memorial Day weekend at the end of May and ends on Labor Day weekend in early September. Some companies allow employees to take the entire day off or leave work a few hours earlier in the afternoon.
Companies might offer this benefit every other Friday or provide flexibility to employees informally during the summer.
Courtney Clark, an author and consultant who works with companies on improving employee retention, previously told USA TODAY that incorporating more meaningful activities into employees' lives, like volunteering or spending time with friends and family, can reduce burnout and improve employee retention.
“Having Fridays off can reduce burnout by giving employees the space to do things that are more meaningful to them,” Clark says.
Which companies offer Summer Fridays?
The trend for summer Fridays predates 2020, but has taken off during the pandemic, when some companies experimented with shortening the summer work week as the pandemic slowed down life.
Some notable companies offering Summer Fridays include IBM, Pfizer, Estee Lauder, Conde Nast, Viacom, Leaf Group, Meredith and Core Digital Media.
As reported by Morning Brew, other firms including EY, MUD\WTR and KPMG have also implemented week-long closures over the summer.
The perk is seen as a luxury. White-collar jobs that use computers are more likely to offer this perk than jobs that require employees to work every day. Experts note that hospitality and healthcare are two industries that offer less flexibility during the summer. Meanwhile, jobs in marketing and media may offer more flexibility during the summer.
What are the benefits of Summer Fridays?
Vicky Salemi is a career expert at online recruiting firm Monster.com. Salemi says that one of the benefits job seekers and employees value most in addition to salary is work-life balance. “Employees want to avoid burnout, they want work-life balance, and most importantly, they want flexibility in terms of where and when they work,” Salemi says.
According to Salemi, European countries overseas are leading the way with a “work to live” mentality rather than “live to work.”
A Monster.com poll from last year found that two-thirds of workers who receive summer benefits like reduced hours, extra days off, or more flexible dress codes say those perks make them more productive at work. And 41% of workers say they would most appreciate a four-day workweek or an entire summer Friday off.
How can businesses implement Summer Fridays?
Experts recommend piloting Summer Fridays and being flexible in your thinking: Fridays may be the busiest day of the week for some businesses, so switch to Summer Mondays instead. “A four-day work week gives employees flexibility in terms of when and where they work,” Salemi says.
Overall, experts say it's important for companies to think of Summer Fridays as a value-add — a perk that helps retain current employees and attract new talent.
The results are as follows:How many remote workers will there be in 2024?
report:Workers are living farther away from their employers, and increasingly, people are living 50 miles away from their offices.
Contributor: Emily Bohac, USA TODAY
