Do we work less on Fridays? For some employees, the answer is yes, according to the results of a study conducted by Flashs (a statistical survey organization) for the Internet hosting company Hostinger and published this Thursday, September 19. Half of the employees surveyed perceive Friday as a less busy day than other days of the week, and more than a quarter (28%) work less on Friday than on other days. Conversely, those who consider they do more on Friday are very rare (only 9%).
The report also highlights that the temptation to postpone tasks until Monday is present for 67% of employees. And some give in to it: A quarter of respondents admit to systematically or regularly pushing back tasks from Friday to the beginning of the following week. Surprisingly, “this behavior is even more pronounced among managers,” the study notes. 81% of them admit to postponing certain tasks, compared to 67% of employees.
Generational gaps
The study highlights differences depending on the age of the respondents. For example, younger people are twice as likely as their elders to admit to taking time off at the weekend: 35% of 18-24 year-olds compared to 17% of those over 50. The gap widens further when it comes to obtaining fake sick leave. While on average one in five employees has already faked an illness to avoid working on a Friday, this practice is more widespread among young people.
A third of 18-24 year-olds admit to having already pretended to be sick to avoid going to work on a Friday, compared to only 6% of those over 50. Conversely, the latter appreciate being able to leave earlier on a Friday. Four out of ten employees aged 50 to 64 believe that among the various options for making Friday more attractive, the possibility of leaving earlier remains the best option.
Different perceptions depending on gender
Furthermore, differences between men and women are also observed. The reflex of providing their employer with false sick leave is, for example, more widespread among men than among women: 21% compared to only 15%. Similarly, only 46% of men systematically go to the office on a Friday, compared to 55% of women.
In addition, the latter feel less listened to than men on the issue. While 67% of managers say they have already consulted their team on this subject, 35% of women feel that their expectations regarding the organization of Fridays are not taken into account. The share drops to 27% for their male colleagues.
Finally, a quasi-consensus seems to have been created around the third day of the weekend. In the case of a four-day week, almost one in two employees prefer not to work on Friday, compared to only 27% on Monday and 21% on Wednesday.