Dear Reader: If you don鈥檛 have Summer Fridays at work or you already do and want to extend them, how should you pursue it with your boss?
Whether you fall in either camp, schedule a meeting with your boss or HR and leadership. If you and your colleagues present the proposal as a group, you鈥檒l want to be prepared and have a plan of action. Talk about the benefits.
If you want to initiate Summer Fridays, suggest doing a trial through Labor Day. If you currently have Summer Fridays, ask about the possibility of extending it past the fall and what metrics, both quantitative and qualitative, need to be met to make this a reality. Should there be informal feedback every two weeks with clients and staff? Every month? Get specific and focused about clear goals and anticipated outcomes.
While it鈥檚 important to highlight your productivity, happiness, engagement and work-life balance, shine a spotlight on how the company benefits. Speak your boss鈥檚 language in terms of potential reduced turnover and a boost to the bottom line if everyone鈥檚 more productive the remaining days of the week.
If you need additional mojo, look no further. Christina Muller, LCSW, currently works as an independent contractor with a major consulting agency in HR and behavioral health. 鈥淭he most effective versions (of Summer Friday models) prioritize both autonomy and trust, whether through rotating Fridays off, compressed workweeks or no-meeting Fridays,鈥 said Muller.
When she has seen leadership push back, it has been helpful to position Summer Fridays as a retention tool and performance strategy. 鈥淚t tells employees they matter, outside of the bottom line, and when people feel they matter they will act that way, too,鈥 said Muller. 鈥淭he benefits are many: improved morale, better focus and bandwidth during the week and fewer instances of burnout or unscheduled PTO. It signals to employees that their well-being matters and that kind of message retains talent.鈥
Jane Montero, senior vice president, culture, content and business development at UpSpring, indicated that for many years their Summer Friday policy has run from late May through Labor Day and encourages team members to log off at 2 p.m. EST, pending that all urgent client needs have been met. Two summers ago, the company decided to extend the policy throughout the year.
鈥淭here was no hesitation,鈥 said Montero.鈥 It鈥檚 important for them to know why we do this 鈥 we value their mental health and trust that they are managing their time and workload responsibly. Since putting this into effect, the employee response has been overwhelmingly positive, and the emotional benefit is substantial. Staffers use that time however they choose: Some sign up to attend a webinar or training after Friday work hours, while others get a head start on their weekend and run errands, go to a doctor鈥檚 appointment, pick up their kids from school, or take a fitness class.鈥
It鈥檚 not only about focusing on Friday, but rather leading up to it. Brittany Truszkowski, SHRM-SCP, and COO of Grand Canyon Law Group, has observed from Summer Fridays at two previous companies that workers returned to work on Monday with 鈥渕ore focus and energy to attack the week.鈥
Tribune News Service