What Should You Offer Them?

Employees’ most prized summer benefits

All work and no play makes for a dull summer, a new survey suggests. Flexible schedules (38%) and leaving work early on Fridays (32%) are the most coveted summer benefits, according to workers polled.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 457 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

“Employees appreciate flexibility in their jobs because it gives them greater control and enables them to handle other commitments without sacrificing their work performance,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam.

Flexible scheduling is an inexpensive way to keep employees motivated. To ensure customer service is not adversely affected, try staggering the schedules of employees to maximize the total number of hours employees are available to take care of the business at hand. “Companies should pilot flexible schedule programs before rolling them out permanently,” Hosking recommended. This gives organizations time to evaluate the impact on workflow and productivity.

Even if companies aren’t able to implement flexible schedules, allowing employees to occasionally leave early on Fridays will have a positive effect on morale. Many workers schedule weekend trips during the summer and appreciate a head start on their travels.

Source: OfficeTeam

Originally published in issue 11-4 of Your Workplace magazine.