06/14/2024

The Quiet Phasing Out of Fridays at Work

The 'gentle Friday' is an unspoken agreement among colleagues

The traditional five-day workweek focusing on being "in the office" is undergoing a significant shift, and we’re yet to see what system of work for knowledge workers will prevail. But one work pattern that is emerging is the idea of a "gentle Friday." This gentle Friday is an unspoken agreement among colleagues to just... not expect too much from a Friday.

Bruce Daisley, a Sunday Times bestselling author, host of the award-winning podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat, and expert on workplace trends, discusses Friday’s new identity and what combination of factors might have led us there.

Friday's new identity

Friday was already seen as a more relaxed workday pre-pandemic, often punctuated by social activities with colleagues. And let us not forget that business dress codes everywhere embraced "casual Fridays" in the mid-90s. Now, Friday office attendance is almost non-existent, with average Friday office usage clocking in at 4.1 percent.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Forbes.