According to a survey by
Gartner, more than 40 percent of companies offer some type of Summer Friday. Many of these businesses have noticed improved employee morale and increased productivity, among other benefits. The survey also reveals that organizations may have a competitive advantage if they offer this perk, as it’s a creative way to retain top talent.
In this post, we’ll explain the benefits of offering Summer Fridays to your employees, so that you can determine if you should introduce this type of policy to your business.
Why You Should Have Summer Fridays:
1. Improved Employee Morale
When one employee has a bad attitude, they can bring down the mood of the entire department. Likewise, when employees are happy, the attitude is often infectious across the entire company.
High employee morale leads to higher self-esteem and improved collaboration among team members, which can benefit your overall business. Due to this, if you want to boost employee morale, you should consider offering Summer Fridays. Your employees will be excited to have some extra time to themselves, which could make them happier and more engaged during work hours.
2. Increased Productivity
According to
the Muse, 25 percent of employees feel less productive in the summertime. 68 percent of workers admit to daydreaming, and many employees would rather be outside than in an office. Luckily, Summer Fridays can help increase productivity, while still allowing employees to enjoy the summer months!
Employees are more productive when morale is higher and they’re satisfied with their work environment. Since Summer Fridays can lead to higher morale, this can translate to sales staff increasing their transactions, and happier customer service representatives, just to name a few examples. Ultimately, if your employees are excited about Summer Fridays, and want to have the perk again next year, they’ll likely work especially hard throughout the rest of the week.
3. Elevated Employee Retention
As a small business owner, you’re likely always looking to hire top talent, but also need a way to stand out from your competitors. One way to stand out from your competitors is to offer Summer Fridays. This can be an attractive benefit to candidates in initial job negotiations. Also, employees will be less likely to look for new jobs if they are satisfied with your company’s perks, such as Summer Fridays. This is especially crucial if you have a young staff, since
millennials are more likely to change jobs than other generations, and having
fun perks could keep them around.
4. Better Work/Life Balance for Employees
According to Gallup’s
State of American Workplace report, 53 percent of employees say
work/life balance is “very important” to them. Many Americans travel on summer weekends, and this perk helps them get a head start by beating the traffic. They can also use the time to enjoy their favorite hobbies, or spend extra time with their families. The additional time off will leave them refreshed and less likely to suffer from burnout.
5. Save on Operating Expenses
If business is slow on Fridays during the summer, you can save on operating expenses by shutting the office down early. Electricity, air-conditioning, and energy are all expensive and can be shut-off if you don’t have employees working in the office. In addition, if you’re apprehensive to give employees more time off, you could instead let them work from home on Fridays, which would also save on energy costs.
Conclusion
While Summer Fridays can be beneficial, make sure that it’s the right choice for your company before initiating it. If you have clients in other time zones, or have partners that don’t also offer the benefit, communicate with them about your summer hours so they’re not caught off-guard. Ultimately, Summer Fridays can show your employees that you care about their work/life balance, and will make your business an organization that people want to work for.