How Work is Different This Summer
Year-round flexibility policies have changed the way many workers and workplaces approach summer work schedules, as we wrote last year. Gone are the days when offices cleared out for seasonal 'summer Fridays.' Now, says Jacqueline Sharma, VP of people at HR platform Envoy, the company's data show that Friday attendance is consistently lower than other days regardless of time of year.
But, as economic uncertainty constrains household travel budgets and adds pressures to workers, setting aside time to rest and recharge is more important than ever—even as it becomes more difficult. According to a survey from HR platform Dayforce, 71% of workers say there are factors standing in the way of taking time off, including being unable to afford it and feeling too busy to do so.
Here are other data points that show how work and time off will be different this summer:
Shrinking budgets are transforming summer travel. A majority of Americans are planning to take at least one vacation this summer, though many are saving money by driving instead of flying, staying with friends and family instead of at a hotel, or shortening their trips, according to a Deloitte survey on summer travel plans. As of early June, airlines are seeing 10% fewer sumer bookings relative to the same period in 2024.
On average, workers request 40% more time-off requests during the summer, according to data from HR software company Paycom. Last year, the most commonly requested day off was July 5, with over four times more requests for paid time off (PTO) than the average day in 2024. To help workers coordinate workflows amid PTO days and zombie crews, teams can adopt team-wide days off or no-meeting days on popular travel days. Charter, for example, added an additional team-wide mental health and wellbeing day directly ahead of Memorial Day and July 4.
Beyond team-wide days off, clarity around vacation policies and templates for out-of-office (OOO) messages and PTO plans can help minimize disruptions to ongoing work and empower more workers to take the time they need.
People are working on vacation at higher rates. The share of workers who say they disconnect completely from work during vacation has steadily declined over the past four years, according to data from Dayforce. In 2023 it was 47%, compared to 39% and 37% last year and this year, respectively. While remote-work privileges are allowing some workers to extend their vacation—allowing 'workcationers' to prolong their longest summer trips by an average of three days, according to Deloitte—the expectation to be always on may also prevent workers from resting, recharging, and connecting with friends and family during trips.
Help your team make the most of remote work while ensuring they also have time to actually unplug by offering work-from-anywhere (WFA) days in addition to PTO. Prudential Financial, for example, allows employees to work entirely remotely from anywhere in the US for four weeks per year. Managers can serve as models, whether that's taking regular WFA and PTO days, sharing their OOO plans well ahead of time, or completely unplugging during PTO days.
Summer care gaps are putting extra pressure on working parents. Among working parents, 76% say their level of focus during the summer is directly tied to the reliability of their children's summer-care arrangements, according to a survey from Bright Horizons. Some 68% of respondents said that summer feels like a break for everyone but themselves.
Respondents pointed to several unique summer challenges, including having to leave work early for activity pick up and drop off, worrying about what kids are up to at home, and managing summer care schedules that don't align with work schedules.
More than three-fourths of respondents shared that they wish their employer offered more support in navigating summer-care arrangements. PwC offers one model for summer-care support.
'As the different schools are letting out across the country, we're talking about our summer camps and some of the child-care offerings that might be even more popular during the summer months,' says Kim Jones, PwC's talent strategy and people experience leader. Those resources include discounted summer camps, a backup child-care reimbursement, and access to an online care marketplace.
Jones used many of PwC's child-care and flexibility benefits when her own daughter was young, noting that the support 'goes a long way towards helping you feel engaged with the organization, helping you want to perform at your best, helping you feel like your work is respected along with your personal life.' she says.
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