I’ve had clients mention that employees have asked for “summer hours.”
This practice is becoming more common, reflecting a growing shift toward flexible work schedules. Moreover, it can be an easy way to provide value to your team members.
With that said, I thought I would reach out with an overview of “summer hours” options as well as a few key considerations.
Types of Summer Hours
- Allowing employees to put in extra hours during the rest of the week so they can leave early on Friday.
- Making every Friday a “half-day Friday,” where employees work in the morning and leave midday.
- Taking a staggered approach. Schedule half of your team to have a Friday off, followed by the next Friday with the remaining employees.
Schedules like these are catching on as companies like Amazon, Basecamp, CARFAX, Microsoft, and thredUp have instituted a four-day workweek. That said, here are a few things to consider if you’re curious about trying a scaled-down summer workweek:
Consider staffing needs
Ensure that your team remains well-coordinated and that the adjusted hours do not disrupt business operations.
Ensure legal compliance
Verify that any changes to working hours comply with labor regulations and contractual obligations.
Take it for a test drive
Try the new schedule for a month to evaluate the impact and feasibility before committing to a long-term change.
Communicate
You’ll need to articulate the new summer schedule well to prevent confusion and maintain transparency.
Take note of a boost in employee morale
A change in pace during summer could increase employee contentment and higher productivity. It may be worth measuring morale and productivity during this time as a determining factor in whether “summer” hours are instituted again.
