If you’re looking for a way to add a new perk to your employee benefits package without spending a lot of money, you may want to consider instituting a summer hours program that includes shorter days or fewer hours during the week. Allowing more time away from the office during warm weather is a low-cost perk that makes a powerful impact on employees.
Making the most of the malady we typically call “spring fever,” the desire to be outside once the weather turns warm, is a benefit that companies are only beginning to recognize the potential of. While traditional benefits such as added sick days and bonuses have their merits, summer hours can raise employee morale dramatically and be much more effective than other incentives might be.
Not only do summer hours benefit the employee, but they also help the company by ensuring that productivity remain at a high instead of dropping off while employees daydream about laying on the beach. Flexible hours are nothing new to the workplace but allowing summer hours benefits every employee with a program that’s similar to flex time hours.
Summer hours can also improve the company’s level of employee retention, help employees feel happier and more satisfied in their jobs, and help them feel an increased life-work balance that’s extremely important to their sense of overall well-being. To implement such a plan in your business, consider these guidelines:
• Set a start date and an end date for your summer hours program.
• Choose a method for implementation such as shorter hours on several days during the week; a four day work week; an early closing on Friday.
• Be sure that your summer hours program meshes with your company goals and your mission statement.
• Work around your busiest times and heaviest employee workloads so that your customers aren’t affected.
• If exceptions must be made, make them sparingly and provide another perk for employees who are unable to take part in the summer hours program.
• Evaluate the program as it goes along and make adjustments as needed to ensure the company is not suffering from the reduced hours.
A summer hours program can be a fun, fresh way to liven up your workplace, add a sense of adventure and excitement to a boring week, and keep employees happy about the company they work for. Consider how your company could use this idea to improve their human resources benefit plan
