❤️ Sun’s Out, Work’s...Optional? Let’s Talk Summer Fridays.

Happy Thursday and Happy (almost) Spring!

I started my first company when I was 23 and living in Chicago. If you've lived in the Midwest, you know the magic of that first 80-degree, sunny day after surviving another long winter. That year, when it finally arrived, I remember calling my co-founder and announcing, “We’re taking the day off!” It felt like a perk we could utilize as we navigated the scary waters of entrepreneurship and I will never forget that feeling of being off on a beautiful summer day.

While most of us are realistically a few months away from that 80 degree day, I’ve learned that when you have a full team, the ability to give people more time off to enjoy beautiful weather comes with a fair amount of planning - and it’s time to start now.

So today, we’re discussing how - with some advanced planning - you can make Summer Fridays (or some version thereof) a reality for your team. Depending on your role in the company, we know taking Fridays off for several months in a row can either be an incredible perk or a messy can of worms. Keep reading for a deep dive into what things to consider now and some tips to make sure your implementation goes smoothly.

Yours in soaking up some sunshine,

Jill

Is this perk worth the hype?

Let’s be honest, productivity on a sunny, warm Friday afternoon isn’t always at its peak. That’s why a lot of companies explore giving employees Fridays off in the summer months as a way to boost morale and give teams a little extra flexibility. But like any workplace perk, it’s not one-size-fits-all. Today we’ll dig into the pros and cons and a few other things to consider before making a final decision on Summer Fridays.

There are a number of ways that Summer Fridays can be structured. And it's worth noting: we’ve seen each of these options implemented successfully! So there truly is not a "best" way to offer this perk - there's only the way that's best for your organization and workforce.

(For the purposes of our discussion we’ll assume “summer” refers to the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. )

1. The business is closed every Friday during the summer, and Monday-Thursday become 10-hour work days

2. The business closes at noon (or other time) every Friday during the summer

3. The business closes for the whole day every other Friday during the summer

4. The business closes on specific Fridays/Mondays around holidays, giving everyone a 4-day weekend (e.g., Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day).

There are a number of reasons that Summer Fridays are becoming so popular:

1. Work-life balance. Wouldn’t it be great if we all still got a summer break? Everyone longs to be outside during the warmer months, or on vacation, or spending time with their kids who are out of school. Providing some flexibility during this time is a great way to show that your company cares about the people we are outside of the office.

2. Increased morale. This is a direct result of #1. More time off can lead to employees returning to work much happier, energized and positive.

3. Burnout prevention. Giving employees a little breathing room during the summer helps keep energy levels high, creativity flowing, and overall engagement strong. A small schedule adjustment can make a big difference in keeping work from feeling like a grind.

4. Retention support. Who wouldn't love being told "we're adopting a Summer Fridays policy to allow employees to enjoy the summer months"?? These extra days off give employees something to look forward to, making the workweek feel a little more manageable. Once people experience that extra bit of flexibility, it becomes a valued perk—one that would be hard to give up—and ends up encouraging top talent to stick around.

5. Recruitment advantage. Summer Fridays are a unique perk that are usually only found at small-to-medium sized companies - since it typically gets complicated and unruly for large corporations to manage. Having this listed on your company’s website or discussed during interviews can make open roles at your company even more appealing.

And how you can remedy them

1. Work can pile up or quality can decline. It may take some time for everyone to adjust to getting the same amount of work done in a shorter time period. Some employees may log off at the designated time even if their work is not done.

   1. Solution: Make it clear that everyone is still expected to complete all of their job duties, which may mean staying late or working a few hours on a Summer Friday in order to finish. This may also mean checking email to keep an eye out for urgent matters. Have managers work with each employee when the schedule is first implemented to help them adjust their time management process to accommodate.

2. It can be unfair. Some employees can end up working on Friday anyway because of their workload, and will resent others who get to clock out early.

   1. Solution: Find the root of the issue. Is one team picking up others’ slack? Are they struggling with time management? Provide the support they need to adjust to the new schedule. If their workload is not conducive to Summer Fridays, see if is there an alternative way you can offer them extra time off, such as additional PTO.

3. It’s not everyone’s schedule. External clients and partners won’t have this time off, and they’ll forget that you do.

   1. Solution: Communicate in advance, but not too early. About a month before your Summer Friday schedule begins, notify clients and partners that you’ll be on an adjusted schedule soon. Reassure them that their needs will still be met and all projects will stay on schedule. Ensure they know how to contact you with urgent matters. Consider providing a line for employees to add to their email signatures as an ongoing reminder.

Before moving forward, determine which Summer Friday model (of the four listed above) best suits your organization. It might be helpful to include a few key leaders from across the company in this process - people who can provide perspective from different teams. Consider:

• Can your business afford to be fully closed on certain Fridays, or would a partial closure work better?

• How will clients or customers be affected by reduced availability on Fridays?

• Does your team’s workload allow for compressed workweeks or staggered schedules?

Based on your company’s needs, choose the approach that fits best for your workforce.

For this implementation plan, we’ll use the early closure model as an example, where the business closes at noon (or another designated time) every Friday during the summer.

To ensure the initiative is well received and effective, engage leadership early in the process. Present the benefits of Summer Fridays, including increased employee engagement and satisfaction, improved recruitment and retention, potential productivity boosts due to a more focused workweek.

If some decision makers are nervous that offering this perk means they’ll have to do it forever, pitch it as a trial run. Make it clear to everyone in the company that you’re testing this idea out, and if it doesn’t work, it won’t be returning. This may also help head-off any policy abuse (intentional or not).

It might be helpful to look for examples of other companies in your industry who have implemented Summer Fridays successfully to show how this might work. Here are a few examples from a marketing agency, SaaS company, and an event planning service.

If concerns arise about business operations, highlight ways to mitigate disruptions, such as adjusting deadlines or ensuring key client touch points remain unaffected.

Once leadership is on board, create a clear framework for your Summer Fridays plan:

• Time of Closure: Decide on the official early closure time (e.g., 12 PM or 2 PM).

• Eligibility: Determine if this applies to all employees or just specific groups, such full-time salaried employees vs. part-time hourly

• Work Expectations: Clarify how workloads should be managed to ensure productivity is maintained. This could also be a good time to revisit company values to ensure they remain top of mind and are consistently upheld when everyone is taking more time off.

• Exceptions: Identify any roles that may need coverage or busy periods over the summer and plan for alternative solutions.

• PTO Policy Adjustments: Determine how to handle PTO requests on top of Summer Fridays. For example:

  • Can they be stacked? (i.e., taking PTO the day before or the Monday after a Summer Friday)

  • If someone takes PTO on a half-day Friday in the summer, does it only deduct four hours from their balance?

  • What happens if several people want to take off around the same time and you face a lack of coverage?

Transparency is key to a smooth rollout! We recommend you start by notifying mangers first since they will be the ones to carry out the plan within their teams.

Then, announce the policy through multiple channels—email, team meetings, and internal communication platforms. Include key information like:

• Why the change is happening (e.g., commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance)

• How it will work (e.g., what time the office closes, what’s expected of employees)

• Who to contact with questions (e.g., HR or department managers)

• Trial period details (if applicable, to assess effectiveness)

Encourage managers to discuss implementation specifics with their teams and address any concerns.

Put the plan into action! Track the success of Summer Fridays by checking in with managers on workload and productivity, gathering employee feedback, and monitoring business performance metrics to minimize impact.

If issues arise, be flexible and make adjustments as needed, such as modifying closure times or offering additional flexibility to certain teams.

At the end of the summer, use all the information you’ve collected to determine whether or not this was a successful program to implement. We hope it’s a grand success! But if not, be sure to clearly communicate what metrics were used to determine success and explain any changes for next year to employees.

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