Summer Fridays are on the decline. Companies may be replacing them with work-from-home days
The share of workers who say they get summer Fridays has dropped dramatically in recent years.
The share of workers who say they get summer Fridays has dropped dramatically in recent years.
Just 11% of North American workers say they have access to summer Fridays, according to a November 2023 survey from Gartner of more than 1,100 people. In 2019, however, 55% of organizations offered the benefit, and until that point its popularity had been growing for years.
It’s possible companies are doing away with summer Fridays, the policy that allows workers to take a few hours or the entire day off during summer months, now that work-from-home Fridays are becoming more common in hybrid workplaces, says Caitlin Duffy, senior director in the Gartner HR practice.
But organizations should be cautious of seeing the different types of flexibility as having the same benefits, she says, especially during what she calls a “well-being crisis” when employee burnout and disengagement are high.
“Organizations may see them as interchangeable, but there’s something different about being completely off and disconnected than there is working remotely,” Duffy tells CNBC Make It.
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