Summer perks are a privilege and a coveted advantage of working at a company that offers them as an added benefit to their employees. Here at JBC we partake in Summer Fridays, but every company has their own way of satisfying the urge to run off to play in the warm weather without a care in the world.

Quite a few of the companies we work with – from start-ups to large labels – have their own special way of making summer fun for employees and the overall company. It’s surprising how these three simple human necessities can make a huge difference to employees during the summer: time, food, and clothing.

Time. After braving the cold blur that is winter, all we want to do is soak up as much sun as possible before it departs just as quickly as it arrived. Memorial weekend usually kicks off summer hours for most companies while Labor Day weekend marks the end. Employees are happy to leave a few hours early on Fridays or to be given a set number of Fridays to use at their leisure. They will welcome the opportunity to start the weekend early, spend some extra time on the beach, or to just do whatever they please with their free time. Some companies provide employees with the entire day off and some alternate Fridays while others offer half-day Fridays. Regardless of the stipulations, no one’s complaining.

Summer Fridays provide extra motivation during the week. You want to leave knowing that you’ve used your time productively. It’s proven that we complete the tasks we are given in the time that we have – and when that time is limited, it’s amazing how productive we can become. The same amount of work is required, so we naturally schedule ourselves to make things happen.

Food and Drink. Ice cream socials or summer happy hours are a fun way to treat employees to the two things that almost no one can turn down – free food and drinks. Make it a weekly occurrence during the summer months and give it a catchy name like ‘Ice Cream Thursdays.’ Designate a time for the event to take place and encourage everyone to partake whether or not they will be eating or drinking. If your event will be held at the office, we suggest hosting it in a particular area that encourages employees to linger and socialize with coworkers instead of grabbing what they want and running back to their desks.

Clothing. We’re talking dress code. If your office has strict dress code requirements, give employees the option of dressing down on certain days of the week. or all summer if possible. Comfortable employees are happy employees. The ability to ditch the suit and tie or pencil skirt and blouse combinations can be quite liberating. Have your human resources department send out a memo detailing what is considered appropriate for the summer and let loose – but not too much, some of us have a job to do.

What are some of your summer perks? Do you have any ideas that companies should try?