If you WFH, what's your Friday afternoon like?

In fairness when I worked in a little shop during my university holidays we used to have very quiet days, and once we had done all the cleaning we would pass many happy hours just chatting away! That said, we were physically present and available to serve the occasional customer

Yes we have targets/time sheets so anyone who did slack would have to make up the time another day I guess.

Pisstakers can and do in every work place whether it's virtual or physical. They need to be effectively managed either way

Agree with this

I tend to have an easier Friday. But often because I’ve worked extra the rest of the week. I’m hardly slacking off

Spent in the Rat and Thistle.

I WFH FT & I usually spend Friday afternoons tidying up any loose ends from the week & getting to the bottom of my to do list before logging off. Certainly no meetings if I can get away with it. I also start & finish work as early as possible on Fridays. I’m usually done by 4, and today I had my feet up watching the tennis with a glass of wine by 4.05.

Happy weekend!

My job is a full on leadership role but I take the piss every Friday afternoon I can. Laundry, cooking, maybe some Netflix.

Same but without the school run.

Days are long with back to back meetings usually, and then Fridays not many people work so I don't have many meetings and use it to do all my work from the week. I also use it to catch up on personal admin that doesn't get done in the week, and feel much less stressed by the end of Friday.

I used to work as a lifeguard and had loads of downtime in quiet periods and could have a snooze in the first aid room or play some badminton or sunbath

We are supposed to have no meetings on Fridays, it's been emailed out repeatedly as a 'wellbeing' initiative to let everyone end the week by catching up of the eleventy-million actions we've picked up and not had time to do Monday-Thursday. I have a block booked out in my calendar to illustrate that I'm not available for meetings.

Inevitably every bastard and their dog remembers urgent, super high priority crap that needs doing this week and invites me to meetings 3pm-8pm to get it done.

I decline everything I can and professionally but firmly remind the ones I do have to speak to of the Friday rule, but most of them are American and it's their Friday morning so they don't see it as a big deal to have the meeting then.

I hate Fridays.

We have an agile working policy, so it’s output rather than hours that count. As long as they get their work done, I am happy for my team to write-off Friday afternoons - unofficially. They are professionals and I don’t treat them like factory workers.

I have 5 admin staff that do have to be available until 4:45 on a Friday. But I am flexible at other times in the week with them, if they need time for appointments etc.

I worked in retail for a decade and had plenty of downtime over the week.

Yes, I generally had to be "present" but I'm not going to pretend I was on the go constantly - lots of extended breaks, meetings that turned into catch-ups with coffee/biscuits, quiet afternoons standing around chatting etc.

DH is also a manual worker and sets his own hours, he hasn't worked later than 2pm all week and had today off.

Very, very few people work jobs where they're constantly "on" all week.

Any manual workers here also having a lie in or going for lunch with the hubby on Friday afternoons, instead of, you know, working? Checkout operators, shelf stackers, healthcare workers, construction workers, you get the picture.

I condense hours and take Friday afternoons off when ever possible. I am transparent with my boss when I’m taking time off

I don’t and wouldn’t play games pretending to work.

Are you paid for a five day week?

I've genuinely never worked in a single job that doesn't have quiet periods and downtime during the working day, whether that's on a Friday afternoon or at another time.

If the work is getting done, why does it matter?

I only work 5h on Fridays, I’m usually done by 12. So I went to the gym and did a food shop before collecting the kids.

I'm the boss.

I won't be mandating any return to the office.

Far too many benefits with wfh

Pisstakers can and do in every work place whether it's virtual or physical. They need to be effectively managed either way.

I think taking it easy on a Friday is absolutely fine! You put more work in on other days.

I work for the NHS in the community. Members of our time are burning out with the workload. Every single minute is accounted for. I work very part time. (Thankfully!)

I did sweet FA this afternoon but I do a timesheet so I’ll have to do a few hours over the weekend now 🤣

WFH from home 2 days a week, office for 3, Friday is always a wfh day but is the same as any other day, meetings where needed, ensuring admin and emails cleared for the weekend and planning for week ahead….my boss called me at 3.15 today to discuss something that took me the rest of the afternoon to sort….it is just a normal day, same as if I was in the office

You can be sure that plenty of senior people and business owners read these threads. Encouraging few more mandates about back to office. Well done OP. You’re so smart.

Yes , I am disabled and can't work in an office full time. I wouldn't dream of betraying the trust placed in me because it means so much. Without homeworking I would be on benefits instead

Are you hoping to persuade employers to force people back to the office?

I've been flat out drafting all afternoon, just got up now to go for a wee because I am bursting but won't be done till 6.

These thread always go a long way in enforcing the view that businesses have about mandating people back to the office. Where there are pisstakers like OP, there will be genuine people impacted by their behaviour.

I WFH 90% of the time and always in a friday. If I am home alone, I put DVD on my personal computer, which is on the desk next to my laptop, and watch a film while I do all the easy, adminy crap that needs doing but didn't get done in the week.