It’s almost Friday, but not a Summer Friday for nearly as many workers.
Only 11 percent of workers say their organizations are offering Summer Fridays this year, according to a survey of more than 1,100 workers in North America from Gartner in November. In 2019, 55 percent of organizations offered this perk.
Summer Fridays, typically offered between Memorial Day and Labor Day, give workers the latitude to leave early or–in some cases–take the entirety of Friday off to enjoy the summer weekends early.
This sharp decline is striking, but not surprising, says Caitlin Duffy, senior director of research at Gartner: “One of the great things about Summer Fridays was that they offered opportunity for employees to have more flexibility.” But “over the past couple of years, so many organizations have adapted to more flexible work policies and models,” she says.
Indeed, a closer look at the data reveals that companies aren’t giving up on the shortened workweek altogether–and some are even offering that benefit year round. Fifteen percent of organizations offer 4.5-day workweeks as of November, according to the Gartner survey. Ten percent are offering four-day workweeks. And 31 percent of these organizations offer generally flexible work hours.
Fridays have changed a lot since the pandemic. Workers now sign off around 4 p.m., The Wall Street Journal recently reported. And they’re the least common onsite day among hybrid workers, according to data from Gallup.
With more flexibility on Fridays than before, it’s clear that some leaders are questioning the need for Summer Fridays at all, as Inc. previously reported.
“I think it will probably kind of maintain its position as one of the different flexibility options on the table,” Duffy says. “But I think, generally, it might not be as impactful as some of the other things that are being explored right now.”
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