Kellogg’s UK has announced that 2021 will mark the 18th year of implementing the cereal brand’s Summer Hours Scheme.
Running from May to September, the scheme allows staff the chance to down tools at 12pm on a Friday for office-based staff, or another preferable day of the week for its field sales team, provided that they have completed their allocated hours.
Kellogg’s noted, upon the announcement of the scheme’s return, that allowing staff to take more time on a Friday away from their work was particularly needed in light of the turbulent past 12 months.
The firm said: “After over 12 months spent working from home and as lockdown measures begin to lift across the country, Kellogg’s UK is encouraging colleagues to take that much needed break away from their screens by offering Friday afternoons off work.”
The Summer Hours Scheme will once again be rolled out to all 380 UK-based Kellogg’s employees at its office in MediaCityUK and has a further 50 employees in its field sales team, all of whom will be offered the opportunity to take half a day per week for themselves.
It comes as the latest step in the company’s mission to care for its employees’ wellbeing, having previously rolled out ‘meeting free’ Friday afternoons, and given workers an extra day’s annual leave to encourage people to ‘switch off and take time away from their screens’.
Sam Thomas-Berry, Vice President of HR at Kellogg Europe, explained: “At Kellogg, we have a long history of offering flexible working and the past year has shown us how crucial that really is. We introduced Summer Hours 18 years ago but I believe after the last 12 months, this year it’s more important than ever before.”
“Our colleague’s wellbeing is one of our main priorities and we hope that offering Friday afternoons off as part of our Summer Hours scheme will allow people to switch off and take that time to do something they really enjoy – whether that’s reconnecting with friends, picking up a hobby or simply unwinding,” she added.
Desired work perks
The firm’s scheme appears to be an effective way of managing employee productivity and attracting talent as research has pointed towards.
For example, Social Market Foundation research discovered that 66% of employees who enjoy summer hours perks are more productive, and on average productivity goes up by a total of 12% when such a scheme is implemented.
Elsewhere, data from Sodexo Engage found that 87.6% of UK staff revealed that downing tools early before the weekend was their most desired work perk – which could be a key way for HR and employers to attract top talent.
Whilst downing tools early on a Friday took the top spot, paid holiday allowance (84.1%), summer hours (76.8%) and student loan contributions (48.1%) also ranked highly on the list.
