Summer Fridays are seasonal employee perks that companies of all sizes offer. The concept behind summer Fridays is to make employees’ life and work schedules more flexible and enjoyable. Different companies work with varying schedules of Summer Fridays but the goal remains the same- to send out TGIF feelings a little earlier in the week.
If you are in HR, you may want to know a little more about this as it concerns employees’ well-being. In this article, we will talk about the benefits of Summer Friday, their different schedules, and how you can implement them in your workplace.
What Are Summer Fridays?
Summer Fridays are flexible work schedules that companies adopt during summer. Employers give employees additional time off during the summer typically between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
An important point to remember is that Summer Fridays may not be suitable for all businesses. Some industries such as food and retail have a major chunk of their business kicking off at the weekend. Therefore, implementing Summer Fridays means losing on profit and customers.
Companies structure Summer Fridays differently from each other depending upon the nature of work. However, the main idea remains the same, that is to not cut the employees’ paid time off. Summer Fridays are meant to give paid time off to employees in addition to their set paid leaves for sickness and vacation.
Let’s have a look at the different schedules of Summer Fridays.
What Are the Different Schedules of Summer Fridays?
Summer Fridays are a type of incentive to retain employees. They make a workplace fun and inviting. There are several ways to make your workplace more attractive to new hires and current employees. Have a look at the options below and see which one suits your business the best.
Every Summer Fridays Off
This is the most generous of all the options. According to this policy, employees get an entire Friday off throughout the summer. The office is closed and everyone returns to work on Monday. As mentioned before, this is additional paid time off and has no impact on the standard paid time off leaves assigned to employees.
This is a great way of adding some sunshine to the working week. This is already getting me excited. How about you?
Every Other Summer Fridays Off
As the name suggests, employees get every alternate Friday off during the summer. This means that every employee gets two Fridays off.
This kind of schedule works best for businesses that cannot shut down their operations completely such as logistics, customer services, and hospitals.
So basically, with this work schedule, half of the employees will always be in the office on summer Fridays to respond to calls and go about their daily business activities.
Half-Day Summer Fridays
In this version, employees come to the office at their usual time in the morning and leave around lunchtime. With this schedule, employees get to work on important tasks and make some progress. Companies also benefit since they get some work done while also letting the employees off early.
This kind of work schedule lets employees start their weekends a little earlier. Interesting isn’t it?
Extra Hours During the Week for Summer Fridays Off
Under this schedule, employees have to work extra hours every day from Monday to Tuesday to get Friday off. This means that employees clock in at their usual time and clock out an hour or so later.
Some companies follow this schedule throughout the year and not just in summers.
Pro Tip: Make clock in and clock out simple for your employees with AttendanceBot. Keep track of their schedules with just a few clicks.
Flexible Summer Hours
This type offers employees some flexibility to decide when and how they want to apply their summer hours. Unlike many employees, some might prefer Monday or Wednesday off instead of Friday.
Benefits of Offering Summer Fridays
Apart from getting to enjoy more vitamin D, there are mutual benefits of implementing a Summer Friday policy in your workplace. Employees benefit from it and what is more important than having happy and healthy employees.
Increases Employee Morale
Summer Fridays are like a no-strings-attached perk that leaves a substantial impact on an employee’s morale. It is no doubt impractical to give entire summers off but you can surely make your employees feel valued if you give them some version of Summer Fridays off. It also shows that you want employees to make the best of the summer with their families and friends.
So what impact does it have? It makes employees feel valued and appreciated. They return to work rested and rejuvenated. Isn’t it what every employer wants?
Keeps Employees Happy and Healthy
Gone are the times when employees were expected to work like machines. Employers now want their employees to work smarter. One reason for this is that employers are now more invested in employees’ physical and mental well-being.
Bombarding employees with tons of tasks and pressing deadlines will eventually cause burnout. The pandemic has already impacted our mental well-being to a great extent. So why not give them a long weekend to top up their Vitamin D levels?
A deficiency of Vitamin D leads to depression, exhaustion, fatigue, mood swings, and much more. These are productivity killers. A slightly longer weekend than usual reduces stress and allows employees to resume work feeling relaxed and happy.
Promotes Team Building
Summer Fridays emit ‘last day of school’ vibes where everyone is ready to push through the gates as soon as the bell rings. Everyone is looking forward to the long weekend and having a good time.
It builds a feeling of camaraderie among employees who help each other get done with tasks and start the weekend right.
Makes Employees More Productive
When employees know that they have a day off, they make an effort to manage their time well and avoid distractions. They are motivated to use their time more efficiently and work with increased productivity.
Retains and Attracts the Best Talent
Thanks to the pandemic, employees now prefer flexible schedules. And Summer Fridays offer just that.
Offering summer Fridays keeps workplace loyalty and happiness intact. Your most talented and high-performing employees are likely to stay with the company. This is because flexibility is an incredible incentive.
Similarly, a progressive summer holiday will help you attract top talent. As mentioned before, employees prefer to work with flexibility whether from the office or home. The pandemic has changed people’s lives and routines and employees want to work with companies that take this into consideration.
Decreases Operational Costs
All Fridays off throughout the summer mean that you can save on operational costs such as electricity and other administrative expenses.
Reduces Time-off Requests
Summer is that time of the month that nobody wants to lose out on. As it approaches, employees request time off so that they can go on vacations to soak up the sun with their friends and families.
Offer Summer Fridays and see a decrease in time-off requests. When employees have a long weekend or an early start to the weekend, they are less likely to take a day off.
Leaves Workload Unaffected
Working for fewer hours or one day less doesn’t mean lower output. In fact, it is the opposite. Working for more than 50 hours a week causes mental stress and a dip in productivity.
And let’s be honest. Who really is in the mood of working on a Friday as soon as it’s lunchtime?
Work dynamics have changed and now it’s all about working with efficiency. It is better to work smarter than harder because no one wants to burn out.
Reduces Stress
Having a four-day workweek means less financial burden for working parents. This means with Summer Fridays off, parents can save up on the money that would have gone into arranging for child care over the summer holidays.
Also, spending quality time with family reduces stress and encourages equitable work-life integration. Nobody would want to leave an employer who recognizes the importance of family time and allows employees to do so.
Steps to Implement Summer Friday in Your Workplace
If you have made up your mind about offering Summer Fridays in your workplace, the steps below will help you with smooth execution.
Carry Out a Survey to Gauge Employee Interest
You must find how employees feel about Summer Fridays before creating a policy. Roll out a survey in your workplace and see if employees really want Summer Fridays. This Is because there is a possibility that employees may not be happy about the idea of working extra hours to get one day off.
Make the Summer Fridays Document Available to All Employees
If your employees are good with the idea of having Summer Fridays, start outlining a policy. Ensure that the policy document is available to all employees should any questions arise.
Conduct a Meeting to Discuss the Summer Fridays Policy
Once your policy is in place, hold a meeting to discuss it. Just rolling out the document and expecting employees to go through it themselves is unlikely. A meeting will give you a chance to gauge employees’ reactions and answer questions they may have. You can follow the steps below to communicate the new policy:
- Send an email notifying employees
- Add to the employee handbook
- Explain expectations in the team meetings
Set up a System to Monitor Employees
Adapting to a change takes time. Similarly, employees might find it challenging to get used to the new policy. In that case, make sure to monitor your staff and see if they are adjusting well.
Keep in mind that Summer Fridays are meant to help employees relax and enjoy time with families. But, if employees start stressing about how to finish off work before Thursday, then there really is no point, is it? Give the necessary support to your employees for a smooth transition.
Play With Summer Fridays Alternate Schedules
Finally, leave some room for change. If you feel that an entire Friday off is not working well for your business, try other alternatives. You can still avoid employee burnout with half Fridays off.
Consider all the alternatives and make the necessary changes quickly.
Are You Ready to Offer Summer Friday to Your Employees?
Summer Fridays are a unique employee perk and they are rapidly gaining popularity. You can continue to implement strategies to boost employee morale and retention but give this one a try as well.
After all, we all want to work with people who show up happily at work. It is all about the positive vibes and Summer Fridays embody that.