More Than 40 Percent Of Companies Will Offer "Summer Fridays" In 2017, According To CEB

Organizations Are Offering Flexible Schedules, Reduced Hours to Retain Employees Who Are Feeling More Confident About the Labor Market

News provided by

CEB

Jun 07, 2017, 08:08 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., June 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CEB, now Gartner, today released findings that indicate 42 percent of sampled organizations will offer their employees "Summer Fridays" this year. This is a more than 20 percent increase in the number of organizations that extended similar benefits in 2015.

"Summer Fridays" are days that organizations offer employees the flexibility to leave early or take the entire day off. Organizations that offer this type of perk may have a competitive advantage when trying to retain their top talent.

According to data from the CEB Global Talent Monitor, employee confidence in the business environment and their personal economic prospects increased again in Q1 2017 – the fourth consecutive quarter. In addition to feeling better about the global labor market, employees are increasingly seeking out new jobs in several major economies, including the U.S., China and Germany.

"As the number of employees feeling more confident about their personal job prospects increases, companies must find creative ways to reward and retain their top talent," said Brian Kropp, HR practice leader at CEB, now Gartner. "Giving employees the gift of time via Summer Fridays is one low-cost way to improve employee engagement, which in turn can increase employee productivity and drive business results."

For many employees, work-life balance is one of the top factors they consider when choosing to take or leave a job. Even organizations that are unable to offer an official Summer Fridays program can capitalize on the importance of work-life balance and reinforce the value they place on employees by:

Allowing staff to work from home more frequently during the summer
Enabling employees to shift their hours to either come in early or later
Encouraging employees to take PTO without guilt

The findings are based on a poll conducted this spring of more than 220 HR leaders worldwide.

About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading research and advisory company. The company helps business leaders across all major functions in every industry and enterprise size with the objective insights they need to make the right decisions. Gartner's comprehensive suite of services delivers strategic advice and proven best practices to help clients succeed in their mission-critical priorities. Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has more than 13,000 associates serving clients in 11,000 enterprises in 100 countries. For more information, visit gartner.com.

SOURCE CEB