NEW YORK — As the summer heat intensifies, employees nationwide may be fantasizing about a beach getaway or sneaking off early to catch a movie in an air-conditioned theater.
For some lucky workers, that fantasy can become a reality. Employers have discovered that implementing summer hours — a reduced schedule on Fridays during the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day — can significantly boost employee morale. Summer hours provide a solution for employees managing childcare challenges, allow them to return to work rejuvenated, and make them feel appreciated by their employer, according to business owners.
Additionally, offering reduced hours during the summer months can help smaller businesses differentiate themselves in a competitive job market when seeking new talent.
“Smaller employers, who may have limited resources but still aim to attract and retain top-quality talent, often get creative with the benefits they provide. Offering flexible summer hours can be one such attractive benefit,” said Rue Dooley, a knowledge adviser at the Society for Human Resources Management.
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However, it’s important to note that special summer schedules may not be suitable for all industries, and determining the best approach for each company may require some trial and error.
Michael Wieder, co-founder of Lalo, a company specializing in baby and toddler products, introduced summer hours to his 32 employees, of whom around 75% are parents, as a way to offer support during the summer season. Since founding the company in 2019, Wieder has experimented with various summer hour arrangements, such as every other Friday off, before settling on the current system where the business closes at 1 p.m. local time on Fridays. Employees also enjoy extended weekends for Memorial Day, Labor Day, and July 4th.
“We understand that childcare can be more challenging in the summer. It’s a season where people like to spend time with their families or go on trips, and we want to reward our employees with additional family time,” Wieder explained.
Greg Hakim, owner of Corporate Ink in Boston, a PR firm serving emerging tech companies, also uses summer hours as a strategy for recruitment and retention. Hakim highlights the summer hours perk in job descriptions and credits it with helping retain staff, especially during the tumultuous times of the pandemic.
“The summer hours have been instrumental in retaining our team during the ‘Great Resignation’ period when many companies were struggling to keep employees,” Hakim noted. “We went 23 months without losing a single team member, which is a significant benefit and a competitive edge.”
Jim Christy, co-owner of Midwest Cards, a trading card retailer in Columbus, Ohio, with approximately 30 employees, introduced summer hours in 2021, a year after establishing the company, in response to the pandemic’s disruption of traditional work patterns.
Implementing summer hours posed challenges for employees working in the physical store who also handle online orders, as they needed to maintain regular hours to keep the store operational. Christy decided to give logistics-side workers Friday afternoons off, while the six staff members handling customer service for online orders are off on Mondays when the store is closed. Some employees have the option to work remotely to address customer inquiries, but it is not mandatory.
“We couldn’t apply a one-size-fits-all solution to everyone. That was a bit challenging,” Christy acknowledged.
Some companies have gone beyond standard summer hours to offer more flexibility. Chris Langer, co-founder of a digital marketing agency called CMYK, has a team of 14 employees who primarily work in the company’s studio.
In 2014, instead of just Friday afternoons off, Langer implemented full Fridays off every other week during the summer. Last year, he transitioned to experimenting with a four-day workweek during the summer following discussions about the concept among the close-knit staff, who have been working together for several years.
“Being a small team, we can easily discuss everyone’s needs and feelings, and determine if they’re feeling stressed or struggling to complete their work. It’s about maintaining open communication,” Langer explained.
If there’s a pressing project deadline, Langer may request staff to work on a Friday, though such instances have been rare since implementing the four-day week at CMYK.
“Working throughout the week to meet deadlines can be more intense, but having that extra day off is a significant reward,” Langer added.
While summer hours can be advantageous for many companies, they may not be suitable for all. Retail stores, for instance, run the risk of losing customers to competitors with longer opening hours. Additionally, employees paid on an hourly basis may be hesitant about reduced work hours affecting their earnings.
Jennifer Johnson, owner of True Fashionistas, a consignment shop in Naples, Florida, attempted to implement summer hours in 2022 due to the seasonal nature of the area, with the busy season typically tapering off after Easter. However, after changing the store’s opening hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting May 1, Johnson quickly realized that the adjustment did not sit well with her 45 to 50 employees or their customers.
“Reducing their hours upset our employees and rightfully so. It also frustrated our customers who were accustomed to our previous hours of operation,” Johnson shared.
As a result, Johnson abandoned the effort after two months and has not revisited the idea since.
“Consistency is key in any business. Customers need to rely on your consistent operating hours. Constant changes can lead to loss of customers,” Johnson emphasized.
