Should your company offer ‘summer hours’?

It’s a growing trend for businesses to offer their staff more flexibility in the hours they work – and for many, that means working reduced hours during the summer.

‘Summer hours’ usually means finishing earlier during the summer, or sometimes just Fridays, to give employers a chance to take advantage of the better weather.

“Most companies have utilised a slightly earlier start throughout the week to then allow an early finish on a Friday,” says Tom Johnson, managing director of Hernshead Recruitment, which is what he has offered his staff since the launch of the company in 2019. Other firms have made a permanent reduction in working hours during the summer.

“Since the pandemic, we have seen a shift in companies looking to retain and reward staff with perks, including reduced hours,” says Johnson. “As employees now place more value on time with family and friends, the ability to finish earlier has become an important benefit.

“Summer and reduced hours allow workers to enjoy more free time away from the office and reap the benefit of doing what they love.”

Getting outside in nature is a genuine boost to health, by helping our bodies to produce vitamin D – which is important for bones, immunity and blood cells. It also helps our bodies use calcium and phosphorus too. Getting enough natural light helps regulate sleep patterns – which is important for work, too.

Nebel Crowhurst, chief appreciation officer at Reward Gateway | Edenred, says: “Days such as ‘half day Fridays’ can provide staff with increased flexibility to manage being a parent with their workload, and can go a long way in reducing work-related stress, without harming productivity.

“Encouraging staff to log off early and enjoy the warm weather can do wonders for staff productivity, boosting serotonin levels [a chemical in the brain increased by sunlight] and allowing staff to come back to work feeling rested and appreciated by their employer.”

Enough serotonin helps gives us more energy, as well as helping to keep people calm, positive, and focused – all key things any employee needs to do a good job.

“By providing staff with this flexibility, employers are not only sending a message that they trust their staff, but also that they appreciate their work-life balance – this can go a long way in boosting morale and employee wellbeing.”

A happier workforce can translate to better staff retention – and therefore lower recruitment costs.

“Every company is looking for engaged, happy, committed employees and reduced hours goes a long way to helping all three of those,” says Johnson.

It won’t be ‘free’ for companies to implement of course, but “from a cost point of view, it is a cost-effective benefit”, says Johnson.

A time frame should be decided on around what constitutes summer. And it’s worth noting changing working hours across the board for a period of the year won’t suit everyone. Parents may have childcare arrangements that can’t be shifted, so consultation with employees is important.

Other potential pitfalls to consider, depending on the type of business, is the impact on customer support and delivery of service. It may simply not be feasible for there to be nobody working after 3pm or 4pm on a Friday, for example.

Johnson says: “Many opt for a split of hours with the reduced hours occurring at different times for different people, or by providing an out of hours support team.

Different models may suit different companies, but for many businesses, summer tends to be a quieter time, and it’s the perfect time to modify hours.

In ESG news this week:

• Major high street retailers are facing pressure from shareholder activists to pay all workers the minimum earnings necessary to meet the cost of living.
• Shell is to pause building work on one of Europe’s largest biofuel plants following a slowdown in demand growth for the low-carbon fuelling method.
• Wildfires have been decimating landscapes across the world this week with two large blazes burning on Sunday near Greece’s capital of Athens.
• Bill Gates warns political backlash could ‘slow down’ green transition.
• Supermarkets ditch pineapple products from Kenyan farms over human rights risk.

Find out more about our ESG offering here: https://go.pa.media/l/314511/2022-11-07/l91tq

PA Mediapoint connects the PR and communications industry with influential journalists, content creators and distribution solutions, to ensure unparalleled support from its editorial expertise to achieve impact across the news ecosystem.