With the change of temperature in the summer, there comes a change of pace, too. It’s the time for many professionals to unplug from work — to rest, relax, and reset. And for some, a chance to rethink the direction of their lives.
Key findings: We polled Glassdoor Community users and asked them, “Do you secretly dial it down at work when summer hits?” The answers are split almost evenly: 49% said “yes” and 51% said “no.”*
- Digging into the data, younger professionals are leading the charge here: 64% of workers aged 21–25 admitted to dialing it back at work, compared to 56% of those aged 26-29. For those over 45, that number drops down to 39%.
Their responses to this question, our Chief Worklife Expert Adam Grant suggests, might be reflective of life-stage differences. “The people most likely to ‘dial it back’ in the summer are the ones with growing responsibilities at home,” he says. “New love and young kids place a greater premium on family time.”
What can go? Dialing it back doesn’t necessarily mean slacking off. It could be as simple as trimming the fat off of our work days. In a separate poll, we asked Glassdoor users: “What’s crushing your summer vibe the most work-wise?” The most popular answer, with 34% of the votes, was “Too many meetings.”
For those looking to set better boundaries at work and streamline their calendars this summer, Grant suggests defining the purpose of meetings upfront. “Be clear about why you’re meeting,” he says. “There are only four reasons to meet: to decide, create, bond, and do. If you’re not gathering for these purposes, cancel the meeting.”
Why it matters: How we feel about work is changing. We’re dreading returning from PTO. We’re burnt out. Elsewhere, professionals are taking hush trips or task masking at work. These covert breaks, according to Grant, are often indicators of burnout, boredom, and distrust. Employees are looking for ways to escape from work they don’t enjoy, or ways to get even with workplaces that mistreat them.
There’s also a shift in priorities at play. “Many people are tired of letting their jobs dictate their time,” observes Grant. “They don’t want to squeeze family, friends, health, and hobbies into the margins around work — they want to find work that fits into their lives. There’s a growing sentiment that work shouldn’t define our identities.”
Some of the professionals on Glassdoor would agree:
“Busyness is not a badge of honor,” Grant reminds us. “Productivity is not the number of tasks you do—it’s the amount of value you create.”
One more thing: As you’re thinking about how you want to balance work and life this summer, you might also be rethinking where. If WFH and a flexible work schedule are a priority, check out our list of the top US cities for working from home**. Here’s a preview of the top ten.
- Bridgeport-Stamford, CT
- Boulder, CO
- Norfolk, VA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Denver, CO
- Austin, TX
- Omaha, NE
- St. Louis, MO
- San Francisco, CA
- Charleston, SC
Methodology*: The poll ran from May 12, 2025 through May 14, 2025 and was answered by over 1,500 U.S. professionals. Respondents could answer with either “Yes” or “No” to the question, “Do you secretly dial it down at work when summer hits?” For subgroup breakouts including gender identity and industry, all categories received at least 100 responses from U.S. professionals on the platform.
Methodology**: Glassdoor users can review specific benefits as part of their broader employer review. This list presents the metro areas with the highest average ratings for work-from-home benefits for reviews left between May 1, 2024 - May 1, 2025. Metros were considered for the list if they had at least 30 WFH benefit ratings over the time period.