- New broadband data from Virgin Media finds the nation secretly clocking off early on Fridays in the summer.
- Research also shows a third of UK adults admit they regularly log off early on a Friday and 61% feel they’ve earned it after a hard week.
- One-in-ten Brits say they’ve worked from a pub garden on a summer Friday, as workers escape their desks to enjoy the sunshine.
Virgin Media has today released new broadband data that reveals a drop in traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months, with as much as an 8% dip between 3-5pm compared to the winter, as remote workers clock off early.
The Friday traffic drop-off comes from Virgin Media’s broadband network analysis, a reliable indicator of the connectivity habits of the British public. Alongside the network data, Virgin Media asked Britons about their work policies and working habits to fully understand the trend.
Nearly a third (30%) of Brits say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer. But despite almost half of UK adults (48%) saying they’re not authorised to finish early on a Friday, 32% say they regularly log off with or without official permission.
The hard-working Brits starting the weekend early
In fact, a fifth (20%) of Brits say that while they don’t have official early finishes, it’s now become informally accepted behaviour in their workplace.
This trend to finish earlier on a Friday comes as 61% feel they’ve earned the right to do so after a busy week. In fact, the majority of Brits (59%) say they don’t feel at all guilty about heading off early to start their weekend on Fridays.
The public believe that early Friday finishes actually improve productivity, with 63% of Brits saying they feel more productive earlier in the week if they can look ahead to finishing earlier on Friday.
Out of the office, but still online
Many Brits confess to working on the move on a Friday afternoon, with 15% admitting to having worked from the train station, 14% from the park, and 10% from the pub, as the weekend beckons.
As many as 30% of 18–24-year-olds confess they’ve worked from the car while travelling for the weekend. Nearly a quarter of Brits (24%) say they’ve often secretly left work early but kept their work status to ‘active’ on a summer Friday.
Keeping the lights on
Not everyone feels the benefit of an early summer Friday finish however, with over a third (37%) saying they often plan to log off early on summer Fridays but typically end up working late. A quarter of Brits (25%) also say they often feel pressure to stay available on summer Fridays, even after the end of the working day. This could explain why two thirds of (64%) of the Brits working a full Friday say they wish their company had a formal summer Friday policy.
Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays. We’re continuing to boost our fixed and mobile networks so whether Brits are working from their local park, or finishing their work at home, we’re ready to keep them connected.”
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