For years, Gurney’s Montauk Resort has been a bustling party scene on Friday afternoons. Young professionals from the city arrived early to hit the pool or beach club and start sipping Aperol spritzes and Domaine Ott rosé by lunchtime.
But, on a recent Friday in July, the popular resort was a ghost town at 5 p.m.
“We’re seeing more arrivals at 4 p.m. and later given our guest’s busy work days,” said Michael Nenner, President and COO. “
Summer Fridays — the office policy that allows workers to just put in a partial day at the end of the week — have long been a cherished NYC tradition. White collar employees, often in finance, tech and media, relished the privilege of heading to the Hamptons early.
But Goldman Sachs cancelled the popular perk last summer, and the banking behemoth is hardly the only major employer making such moves. A survey by managing consultant firm Gartner found that only 11% of North American employees enjoyed Summer Friday in 2023, down from 55% before the pandemic.
Hybrid work policies are, in part, driving the trend. Some employers are demanding that workers do some of their in-office time on Fridays or Mondays and not simply midweek. Others allow employees to be remote on Fridays, but with that privilege comes an understanding that it’s a full workday.
On a recent trip to Montauk with three girlfriends, E.M., a 30-something who lives in Williamsburg and works for a large pharmaceutical company, was stuck in her hotel room working until 6 p.m. on a Friday.
While her pals were lounging at the beach in bikinis and listening to a special guest DJ at a VIP table, she was inside wearing a button down blouse on Zoom.
Though her company doesn’t have an official “Summer Friday” policy, it has long had an unofficial rule that employees can slack off at the end of the week if there aren’t any business-critical meetings.
But, this summer, it seems, every Friday has some sort of “emergency” that requires her attention.
“Summer Fridays have become a myth for me,” said E.M, who requested anonymity for professional reasons. “I definitely work Friday afternoons, including a long day after the 4th of July.”
An Amazon employee who lives in downtown Manhattan noted similar changes to her end-of-week workload.
“Friday is no different to any other day,” said the women, who is in her late 30s and also requested anonymity for professional reasons. “Summer is no different to any other season.”
In the past she used to spend Friday afternoons traveling to the Hamptons with friends or playing golf. Now, she is stuck in meetings, more than ever before.
“Right now when we’re busy, even Fridays can be full of meetings,” she said.
Few are happy with these changes.
The Amazon worker said she felt “rage and irritation” at what’s become of her Summer Fridays.
E.M. complained about her work-life balance.
“I [used to] use the weekend to disconnect and build strong relationships, and a life outside of work,” she told The Post. “Instead I am too tired from my Fridays, and I spend Saturdays recuperating from the week.”
Veah Hope, a young New Yorker who works in public relations for a financial company, recently took to TikTok to complain about no longer having Summer Fridays.
“Like why am I still working? It’s 3 p.m. and I want to sip an Aperol spritz on my roof,” she said. “Alas, I am suffering in an excel spreadsheet.”
Employers defend the decision to make employees work the full week during the summer.
“I can tell by their body language that they don’t want to be there,” said Ben Sweeny, 32, a content creator with a small company headquartered in DUMBO. “[But] they have weekends. That should be enough.”
