Summer slackers: 50% of employees are less productive in the summer

As days get longer and the weather gets warmer, it's getting harder for employees to focus on work and unfortunately, it's going to take more than Summer Fridays to keep them locked in. 

Fifty percent of full-time employees aged 18-34 said they are less productive during the summer, according to a survey from HR software company Dayforce, and 49% said they plan to slack off when their boss is on summer vacation compared to just 36% and 34%, respectively, for all workers. 

"This phenomenon is not new — we've known that there is some slack of work that's happening in the summertime," says Donnebra McClendon, global head of culture and belonging at Dayforce. "Typically we've attributed this to kids being out of school for the summer, so families are probably planning longer times off. But it's no longer limited to that. We're all feeling it." 

Read more: 27% of employees would leave their job if they lost summer Fridays

Young professionals have also been the driving force behind the push for more workplace flexibility, which has greatly influenced their tendency to slack off. When asked for reasons behind why they spend less time doing work in the summer months, 44% of said it's because they are spending more time outside enjoying the weather, 40% attributed it to increased social distractions and 28% said they're busy planning vacation and activities.   

Part of the problem is that more than three-quarters of younger workers say that even when they take summer vacations, they don't unplug completely. Another 79% said there are challenges preventing them from taking vacations over the summer, as 24% said their job is too busy and 20% shared that their job doesn't offer paid vacation. As a result, productivity suffers in the summertime. 

"You have to be able to manage the needs of the business you work at while prioritizing your overall wellness needs," McClendon says. "If you think about work as a race, there should be a rest in between sprints. Whatever that rest period looks like is where you need to maximize your time so as to minimize things like distractions." 

For employees, that means prioritizing rest and relaxation where they can by taking the PTO they have when they need it. If they don't have the time or the space to take long breaks, short staycations and long weekends are also a good option. As for the employer, their responsibility is to broaden those options. 

Read more: 3 ways HR teams can prioritize talent, according to ADP

"We need to encourage people to find the balance," McClendon says. "Employers will need to continue to be creative in the offerings that they're providing people. Take a look at your overall needs of your business and then ask the people what they want and what they can achieve within the productivity parameters that they've set." 

This means going beyond the standard Summer Friday idea and putting in place more concrete flexible work programs year-round, and building out robust PTO offerings while keeping open and honest communication around boundaries and expectations. 

"We have a tendency to try to make decisions in a vacuum in the HR space and put together this one-size-fits-all approach, but we know that that's not going to work long term," McClendon says. "We have to be open to the idea that we have to give people what they're looking for if you really want to retain that top talent and allow them the opportunity to find true balance."