Only 1 in 5 UK workers receive summertime perks

As temperatures in the UK reached an all-time high last week, only one in five employees around the country are offered seasonal perks during warmer months, according to a study by CV-Library.

In countries across the globe, it is common for businesses to offer summertime benefits, such as more relaxed dress codes, flexible working and reduced hours.

However, as employees around the country struggled to keep cool at their desks last week, it raises the question of whether more British businesses should implement some of these concessions too.

New research conducted by CV-Library among 2,500 employees found that only a fifth (20%) of UK workers receive such seasonal benefits, while the majority (63%) believe that all British employers should have such policies in place during the summer months.

Lee Biggins, Founder and Managing Director of CV-Library, commented:

“The UK’s ‘summer’ weather is much more unpredictable than our counterparts’, so it’s not massively surprising to find that we don’t place as much importance on these traditions! However, last week’s exhausting temperatures prove that the occasional summer perk would be well received. Small steps such as letting staff go home early on very hot days, organising outdoor drinks or a BBQ (weather permitting!) to celebrate employees’ hard work can all help staff to feel valued and motivated.”

While the proportion of UK employers offering such benefits is small, of those employees that do receive perks during the summer season, the most common are: early finishes (31.1%); summer parties for staff (23.2%); summer BBQs (15.3%); company drinks (7.4%); a change in dress code to accommodate the heat (7%). Furthermore, over a quarter (28.6%) of UK workers place importance on these perks when job hunting, with 84.2% stating that they would be more attracted to a company that offered them.

Biggins concluded: “Taking these perks into account and figuring out what best suits your organisation can help to keep employees motivated throughout the summer. More and more candidates are focusing on workplace perks as a massive pull factor in their employment decision and those organisations that don’t make the appropriate adjustments could risk falling behind their competition when it comes to recruiting the very best talent.”