When you think of summer trends, do shorter work hours come to mind? According to a recent survey, 42% of organizations will offer their employees “Summer Fridays” in 2017. Offering a flexible schedule is a great way to reward, and retain, your top talent. While some employers may be hesitant to get behind this trend, it may just give your office the energy boost you are looking for. In fact, studies show that productivity often drops when employees work more than 50 hours a week. Employees can use “Summer Fridays” to get a head start on weekend travel, soak up the sun at the beach or spend valuable time with their families.
Here’s how you can implement flexible hours for your company:
- Allow employees to work hours that allow them to more productive. Some people are early birds while others prefer to work later in the day.
- Ask your team! Your employees may feel coming in early, or staying late, Monday through Thursday is a fair trade for leaving early on Friday.
- Set hours that employees must be in the office or available when working from home. This structure allows for collaboration and meetings.
- Don’t focus on exceptions. Many employers worry flexible hours will be abused, however if an employee does not adhere to the policy they are probably not the right fit for company anyway.
- Plan for a slow start. Instead of implementing a flexible schedule right away, start out with a test run for a month or so. This will allow you to measure productivity and to see if these new hours will beneficial for you and your team.
Flexible work schedules continue to gain popularity as technology makes it easier to access employees remotely by a text, phone call, or email. Many employees sneak out early on Fridays, especially before holiday weekends. Making it official gives your company the chance to offer a generous benefit without having to sacrifice too much productivity or expense.
Enjoy your Friday FUNday!
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Have a safe July 4th holiday!