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Sunny Perks: How Summer Hours Boost Small Business Morale

Sunny Perks: How Summer Hours Boost Small Business Morale

As the summer sun blazes across the skies of New York, workers nationwide find themselves daydreaming about seashore retreats or sneaking into an air-conditioned cinema to escape the relentless heat. For many business owners, this presents an opportunity to boost morale and show employees they are valued. The concept of summer hours—typically a reduced schedule on Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day—has emerged as a popular solution.

Summer hours allow employees to handle childcare gaps, return to work refreshed, and feel appreciated by their employers. The benefits extend beyond just the workers; smaller businesses find that offering this perk makes them more attractive in a competitive job market. For example, Michael Wieder, co-founder of Lalo, a company specializing in baby and toddler products, recognized the value of summer hours for his 32 employees, around 75% of whom are parents. By implementing this flexible schedule, Wieder hoped to alleviate some of the stresses that accompany balancing work and family life during the summer months.

Similarly, Greg Hakim, owner of Corporate Ink in Boston, has made summer hours a cornerstone of his recruitment and retention strategies. Corporate Ink provides public relations services to emerging tech companies, a sector fraught with competition for talent. Hakim began offering summer hours—Fridays off after 2 p.m.—in 2021, just a year after founding the company amidst the pandemic upheaval. The reduced hours have not only served as a draw for new applicants but have also helped retain current staff, a significant challenge for many businesses during the pandemic.

However, implementing summer hours isn’t without its challenges. For Hakim, the trickiest part was figuring out how to offer the same benefits to employees who worked in his brick-and-mortar shop, which also handled online orders. Ensuring that these workers received comparable perks while maintaining store operations required a delicate balance.

In some cases, the success of summer hours has led companies to expand their approach even further. While these flexible schedules have garnered positive feedback, it’s crucial to acknowledge that they are not universally applicable. Jennifer Johnson, owner of True Fashionistas, a consignment shop in Naples, Florida, experimented with summer hours in 2022. Naples experiences a seasonal business cycle, with its busiest period concluding around Easter. Johnson believed that adopting summer hours would be a good fit for her shop, given the quieter summer months.

In conclusion, summer hours have the potential to revolutionize the way businesses approach employee satisfaction and retention. For companies like Lalo and Corporate Ink, they offer a way to stand out in a crowded job market and show employees that they are valued. While not a one-size-fits-all solution, the success stories of businesses that have implemented summer hours highlight the importance of flexibility and creativity in meeting the needs of today’s workforce. Whether it’s a few extra hours at the beach or simply a chance to cool off, summer hours provide a welcome relief for employees and a strategic advantage for employers.