Survey Finds Less Employers Offer ‘Summer Friday’ Benefits

Advertising agencies in New York realized in the 1960s that their employees were not as productive on Fridays as they were during the rest of the week, especially during the summer months. This is when the ‘summer Friday’ was born, which gave employees either the entire day off or a half day. The custom then spread to other industries across the country not long after it started. In today’s world, more and more employers are asking for longer hours and more productivity, which means that the summer Friday has begun to dissipate.

A study conducted by Harris Interactive, which was commissioned by Ultimat vodka, surveyed working adults age 21 and older. The results of the study found that 12 percent of those adults say their company offers a summer Friday deal. It also found that employees working in the Northeast were more likely to receive a summer Friday deal than those in the South. Close to 41 percent of the respondents who said they receive summer Fridays told the survey that they forfeit the benefit because they have too much work to complete. According to the survey, 88 percent of adults aged 21 or older said that they are not offered a summer Friday benefit.

The topic of the survey was created in order to find out if a couple of extra hours out of work during the summer months can ultimately increase productivity and help employees with their morale and balancing work and life.

“Employers take note,” says Jennifer Long. Long is the brand director for Patron Spirits, which is the brand owner for Ultimat Vodka. “Our survey clearly indicates that if you offer people the ability to take a Summer Friday, they’ll be happier and actually more productive during working hours.”

The survey also revealed that 78 percent of employed adults age 21 and older who do not have the summer Friday benefit said they would use the benefit if it was offered. Of employed adults aged 21 and older, 73 percent said if they had the summer Friday benefit they would use it and it would help balance their personal life and work life. Out of those who have the benefit, 87 percent said that using the benefit helps them balance a healthy personal life and work life.

Close to 76 percent of employed adults aged 21 and older said that the summer Friday benefit is an excellent tool to use to help increase productivity. Of the adults who use the summer Friday benefit, 86 percent said that the use the benefit to start an early weekend.