To not work much on a Friday

[GoodGrief10]

I work from home a couple of days a week including a Friday and I can't seem to get motivated at all today. Logged on obviously and answered a couple of emails first thing, then I've tidied the house, put some washing on, looked on facebook, had youtube on, phoned my sister and now it's lunchtime. I'm feeling guilty :( but am I alone? Items on today's list have been crossed through and added to Monday's list!

And you’re the same people who then complain about how shit the NHS is etc etc. We don’t get to doss about in the sunshine 🙄

I’ve always been a bit lazy on a Friday at work, whether I’m WFH or in the office. I think a lot of people are the same and this is one of the reasons that companies who switched to a four day working week typically don’t see a drop in productivity.

YANBU.
My employer monitors my output rather than where and when I work. As long as my work is being done and I'm achieving the goals I need to, we're trusted to manage our own workload.
Today I low motivation to work (I am though, but with breaks and other tasks achieved). I also don't have a lot of deadlines at the moment. Other times, I am working 12 hrs per day, it balances out...
We're trusted to monitor and maintain our own workload.

That would be impossible where I work. Lack of output would be noticed pretty much straight away and questions asked immediately.

I think it depends. I have a colleague who regularly (openly) does this and it is so frustrating as it has a big impact on me. I don't work Friday and I often end up run ragged on a Monday doing things that they said they'd do on the Friday.

If however there is no impact on anyone else then yanbu, enjoy a chilled day!

We are also trusted to maintain our own workload. But if something needs doing that day, morning, afternoon, hour, it needs doing then.

What jobs do you all have that enable you to not actually work on one day a week?!

Well exactly. Can you imagine a Dr saying can't be arsed today.

Depends on your job I guess. I can't as people still ring us on a Friday!

I haven't done much this afternoon. I manage my own workload and having a quiet afternoon doesn't impact anyone else.

Not WFH but I had clocked my required 35 hours by noon today so I've popped on an out of office & left the building! There's nothing on my pad that can't wait until Monday.

Today I have been mostly dealing with any urgent emails/returns, putting fake tan on my legs, sending reminders to pay bills to our MD which will be ignored, hanging out multiple loads of washing and browsing MN, TikTok and Shein. It's 28 bastard degrees in here, might have to head for the garden furniture in the shade.

Loads of people skive in offices. Long trips to the kitchen to make tea, fag breaks, extended strolls outside in nice weather, gossiping by the water cooler… skiving has existed long before WFH. If the work’s being done and deadlines met why does it matter if someone’s taking a break? As others have said a happy chilled employee will be far more productive in the long run than a stressed and overworked one. And no one should feel guilty. We shouldn’t have any loyalty or emotion towards employers, everyone is dispensable and your job won’t have your back if they need to make cuts.

I am so so jealous. I work for a Local Authority and all of my workload is micromanaged. I have targets that are auto allocated by a system, as though we are on a production line, which we aren't!! Each case file can vary considerably. I feel like a hamster on a wheel. If I fall short of achieving my already impossible targets I have to explain in detail why x or y case took longer than standard. It's relentless and miserable, they pretend they care but they don't. So no Friday easing off here.

An office would probably have air conditioning. 🙃

I think I love your employer.

It's not that I want to do LESS work on. Friday afternoons. It's just that I'd like to do the duller, easier tasks like timesheets and other admin.

Instead everyone seems to book important meetings here and I have to think too hard and perform on video calls, when I want to just start the wind down to the weekend.

"Loads of people skive in offices. Long trips to the kitchen to make tea, fag breaks, extended strolls outside in nice weather, gossiping by the water cooler… skiving has existed long before WFH. If the work’s being done and deadlines met why does it matter if someone’s taking a break? As others have said a happy chilled employee will be far more productive in the long run than a stressed and overworked one. And no one should feel guilty. We shouldn’t have any loyalty or emotion towards employers, everyone is dispensable and your job won’t have your back if they need to make cuts."

Not where I work. We are too busy every single day, all day. Public sector. Plus I do think that people forget they are being paid to actually work. Fair enough if you have a job where you can do all of your hours flexibly but if like the OP you are admitting that you just can't be bothered so you're not going to work I think that's wrong.

My DB is a project manager and manages a small team.

They work a 9 day fortnight.

On top of this he's always telling his employees who are in office and wfh that he won't be checking their hours unless the work isn't complete to the right standard.

He says if they do a job he expects to last and allocates 15 hours in 12 and to the highest standard he doesn't see the point in them fart arsing around finding things to do for the other 3!

He also says if you want time off during the day and to work evenings it's fine as long as you aren't missing meetings or deadlines.

His staff never fail to meet deadlines and because he's so flexible the odd time they haven't completed in allocated timeframe they've work an hour or 2 extra to complete so it balances out.

Well I spent two weeks working every day last week - so 14 consecutive days of 10-12hr days to meet a short deadline I will take it very easy and do the minimum for a week or so, plus I may take one day as Toil. Even doing this I will have worked many more than my 37 5 contracted hours per week over the last 2-3 weeks

Same. Does nobody else have set shifts? I guess NHS staff do/emergency services etc
I've never worked in a job where I can skive or leave early but then my pay is about 10% of what everyone else seems to earn on here

I am thinking of knocking off early today. I never ever ever do this! I've slaved all week and I'm knackered.

For the pearl clutchers ready to tell me off, I work for myself so I think the boss will be understanding!

Sometimes I’m working till 10pm sometimes I might work on a Saturday. It really makes no difference to the company I work for. Unless I have a deadline task I can do it as and when. I just log the actual hours I’ve worked. Might do 40 one week 12 the next. Might have sharp deadline after deadline or just lots of long ended work. Me not working today makes no difference.

I'd love to know what my neighbour does for a living as when I ran into her yesterday she told me she's was working from home for the next couple of days and she spent yesterday and today so far, in her bikini, smothered in lotion on a sun lounger. No sign of a laptop, just her mobile phone and a paperback.

I can't do as the OP. I don't work on a Monday!!!

I think @itsgettingweird's husband has the right approach. And it's research proven. It does mean you need fairly good controls or other means in place to know what is being delivered, but happy staff with trust and flexibility are better motivated over the longer term, and therefore more productive.