As Summer Heats Up, So Do the Employee Benefits

Last year, AT&T heard a recurring pain point being shared by many of its employees: how difficult it was to fill gaps in care during the summer, typically for working parents and caregivers.

As a result, the telecommunications giant decided to create a summer camp on campus for employees’ kids. Working with childcare provider Bright Horizons and summer day camp provider Steve & Kate’s Camp, the company last summer launched a 10-week on-site summer camp at its Dallas headquarters for children ages 4 through 12. Employees were able to access the program for as low as $15 per day for one child or $25 per day for multiple children.

Employee enthusiasm and satisfaction was high for the camp, said Ryan Mattiza, director of benefits at AT&T, spurring the company to expand the benefit this year. This summer, the camp is being offered in Dallas as well as in its Atlanta office.

The camp brings “a whole new life to the campus in terms of energy,” Mattiza said. Employees can “walk around and see children on campus as they’re going to camp for the day, or maybe a child and parent are on lunch break.” 

AT&T is not alone in leaning on specific benefits for summertime. Several employers are offering a variety of different benefits, from extra childcare help to summer hours and remote work. Others are promoting specific year-round benefit offerings during the summer months. 

HR leaders say that offering, or touting, specific benefits for the summer months is a good way to not only address specific challenges that may arise, such as childcare, but to engage workers and encourage them to take a break.

“Summer benefits and experiences acknowledge that employees’ needs often shift during this time of year,” said Erica Kirwin, chief people officer at 5W Public Relations, a digital communications agency in New York City. “By offering additional flexibility, opportunities to recharge, and moments of connection and recognition, we help foster a positive employee experience while supporting overall well-being and engagement.”

Dena Upton, chief people officer at Later, an influencer marketing company in Boston, agreed. 

“Offering something different during the summer acknowledges that this time of year often invites people to reflect, reset, and engage differently,” she said. “While others slow down, we're creating space to go deeper, on purpose, on community, and on our team.”

For its part, Upton said Later is touting certain benefits and encouraging workers to use them in the summer months. For instance, they are encouraging employees to spend a portion of their educational stipend as part of an “invest in you” approach to development over the summer. They also place additional emphasis on volunteer time, with a focus on early education and social mobility, Upton said. 

“The goal is to create opportunities that feel both personally meaningful and aligned with the kinds of impact our employees care about,” she said.

Summer Hours, Celebrations 

Other employers are leaning into a standard of summertime benefits — summer hours and celebrations. A 2025 survey of U.S. workers by jobs site Monster found that “Summer Fridays” — a perk letting workers take Friday afternoon off over the summer months — is the most valued summer benefit, followed by summer hours and flextime.

5W Public Relations is one employer offering employees Summer Fridays, allowing employees to wrap up their workday early on Fridays, giving them “more time to enjoy the season, spend time with loved ones, and recharge before the week ahead,” Kirwin said. The firm also encourages employees to work remotely on these half-days, providing additional flexibility and supporting work/life balance, Kirwin said.

The summer schedule is one of the company’s most highly valued perks, Kirwin said. 

The firm also has an annual summer celebration, which is an opportunity for employees to have fun and connect with one another. The event also includes employee recognition and awards, “allowing us to acknowledge outstanding contributions and reinforce our culture of appreciation,” Kirwin said. 

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Impact on Employees

Experts say that specific summer benefits or initiatives have a positive impact on employees.

AT&T’s summer camp has been a meaningful benefit for employees, Mattiza said. Last year, more than 400 employees used the camp in Dallas, with more than 2,000 reservations on average, about 55 kids a day, he explained. “One of the things that we heard most commonly was just how great the camp was,” resulting in a 97% satisfaction rate from employees. 

Convenience proved to be a major factor in the program’s design. “We heard from employees about the importance of having close proximity for care for their children, and so that was part of the reason why we thought it would be impactful to have it specifically here on our campus," the benefits leader said. The convenience of having the care on site has made it "very easy for folks to be able to leverage the camp here.”

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Later’s summer initiatives, Upton said, help its team “stay engaged and connected in a way that doesn’t feel like more of the same.” 

Encouraging use of an educational stipend and highlighting volunteer time “can help make the summer feel more intentional, personal, and connected to a broader sense of purpose,” Upton explained. It also allows employees “to take time away from their day-to-day roles and get outside or do something different while still being on the clock.”