More people than ever are working from home, a change precipitated by the pandemic. Today, an estimated 41 per cent of workers in Great Britain tune into calls from home at least some of the time, a staggering 23.2 million people compared with 1.5 million people 10 years ago. This includes 13 per cent who work exclusively from home, and 28 per cent who follow a hybrid model.
While some major companies have pushed for the five-day return to the office – to the dissatisfaction or even resignation of some workers – most workplaces have retained some degree of flexibility, with Fridays at home being one of the most common post-pandemic practices.
Although most companies have accepted that some form of remote work is now a permanent fixture of the work landscape, it doesn’t stop managers harbouring mistrust over exactly what happens when their team takes their laptops home.
At worst, fears include staff spending all day in the pub, holding down second jobs or even going on holiday early. It may also be a more laissez-faire approach to work on Fridays – less productivity, delayed responses, or even time away from desks. The i Paper spoke to five people about what they really get up to on their WFH Fridays and the answers vary.
‘I secretly work two jobs’
Naomi*, 30, advertising
I’m freelance, but I’ve been at my current job since March. I’m fully remote, and all of my days are at home. I’ll usually start the morning with a cup of tea in bed, chat to my partner, then I’ll get ready, have breakfast, use my LED face mask and read my book while it’s on, and then meditate.
I’ll usually check my Slack messages at 9am, but won’t really start doing anything until 9.30ish. I like to get any work I need to do done first thing as it’s usually when I’m most productive. Then I’ll treat myself by watching something on Hayu – preferably the latest Real Housewives episode – while sunbathing on my balcony.
I like a lunchtime workout class as it doesn’t eat into the rest of my day, so I head out about 12/12:30 for an hour class, come back and make lunch. Around 3-4pm is when I might have a work call, so I check if anyone needs anything.
I’m getting married, so a slow Friday is the perfect time to get a lot of admin done. This is all probably done from the sofa! I’ll keep an eye out for messages, but I’ve clocked off well before 5pm.
I sometimes work on two jobs at the same time as my current role doesn’t take up full days. It initially came out of a financial necessity, but now it’s something that I can’t say no to as I want to make sure that I maintain relationships with my clients and worry that if I go dark for a long period of time (even if I am fully booked) they’ll forget about me. As a freelancer, you can’t rely on one income stream.
I don’t feel guilty. I’m still doing all of the work I need to do, often more. It’s just the way I work and always have done – intense bursts of focus equalling lots of work and then a rest time. I’ve started seeing it as a superpower to be able to juggle my time. My manager is very laid-back and doesn’t micromanage – they trust me to do a good job and have always delivered in the past so they don’t check in.
I’m also in quite a senior role so I’m in charge from a creative point of view, so I don’t need much hand-holding. If I’m double working and I have two meetings that clash – which does sometimes happen – I’ll tell one of them I have an appointment, or I’ll make an excuse that a certain time works better for me.
It does mean, though, that I’ve experienced a lot of burnout which can be hard to navigate, so I feel like my WFH Fridays give me a bit of time back.
‘I work from bed on Friday mornings’
Aimee*, 29, marketing
I’ve been at my full-time marketing job for one year, and I’m in the office three days a week, with two days working from home. I’m in a fast-paced, creative industry where we’re expected to work a lot of overtime at events, so sometimes taking a slower Friday feels like reclaiming time I’m not being paid for. I’ll use it to wash my hair, go to a morning or lunch gym class and I like to leave my house at 6pm for my Friday evening plans, so I’ll start getting ready or doing what I need to do in the afternoon.
I always make sure my to-do list is finished, but I tend to get more work done between Monday-Thursday and Friday is more for admin or last-minute requests. I’m a big “work-from-bed on Friday morning” fan – obviously cameras off for internal calls. I feel like Fridays have always been more relaxed, but I’ve definitely noticed a shift since the pandemic.
More often than not, none of my team seems to be online, and there are no emails being sent; this is at director level all the way to interns. I am definitely a big “mouse wiggler” so I look online at all times, but I also make sure that I’ve got the Teams app or emails on my phone on a Friday so I’m not caught out for missing something if I’m out and about. I also never stray too far from home in case of emergencies.
‘Working from home is extremely stressful when you have a young family’
Ben*, 42, tech
For me, working from home is extremely stressful. I feel like most people with young families will secretly agree. Mandated working at home has worsened a lot of the aspects of my life. I feel guilty not being a present father and having a shut door, but then I am also distracted so not giving 100 per cent attention at work. My calls are punctuated with crying or screaming or kids running into the room, and it also feels like the quality of my family life is worsening because I am stressed, so I’m not the most pleasant to be around.
What do I do on Fridays? Try to do the same focused work I would do in the office, but feeling immense guilt that I’m locking the kids out of the room. Working from home gets painted by everyone as this dream scenario – and it almost certainly is when you are single and live alone – but the second you share that home with young children, I really don’t know how anyone manages to enjoy it.
‘On Fridays, I work harder to set myself up for the next week’
Rachel*, 25, researcher working in a university
On Fridays, I actually work a lot more to set myself up for the week ahead – I hate this trope that we Gen Z do nothing. I’ve been in my current role for a year and a half and I work in a university. Our work schedule is pretty flexible; it’s nine-to-five, but the number of days we go into the office is between one and three a week. I’ll probably get off work about half an hour early on Fridays so I’ll usually work through lunch. I also work part-time in an entirely remote research-based position. Having extra money definitely helps in a city as expensive as London.
Fridays are my days to plan ahead for the week. I’ll make my to-do list for the following week, so I’m not scrambling on Monday morning. I wouldn’t say I do less work, but I would say that my hours are more compressed or I work a bit more strategically on Fridays.
If I ever do less work, I feel guilty that other people might be stretching themselves as a result. I don’t like the narrative that people work less on Fridays because it’s just a way to punish workers and it’s really unfair. As long as you get your work done within your work week or specified hours, I don’t think there should be a problem.
I’m in my mid-twenties and this is my third or fourth full-time role. I think when I entered the workforce I initially wanted to be this career woman, and I think over time – even just in the past few years – I’ve become a bit jaded by work. Being able to work from home enables me to get all of my responsibilities done but also make sure that work doesn’t encompass every aspect of my life.
‘I clean my flat, sell on Vinted, go to a Barre class. Then feel guilty at 3pm’
Sara*, 28, fashion industry
I’ve been at my company since February, and I do four days in the office and Fridays working from home. I have Slack on my phone, just in case, but in the morning I’ll head out to do a barre class, grab a coffee and a pastry and get back to the house at 9.30am. Then I’ll do washing, vacuuming, upload some Vinted listings, check emails, give my mouse a wiggle. Normally I start to feel guilty at around 3pm, so at that point I’ll lock in, headphones on, and get work done.
Other times, I will have already logged off by 3pm and be on my way to an exercise class at 4.15pm. Reselling on Vinted and eBay are my side hustles, so I put a lot of time into them. Without it, I would really struggle to live on my salary. I get minimal holiday, so it’s hard, and when it’s summer it’s really difficult for me to concentrate. I just want to be outside on my balcony, basically, enjoying the sun – you can’t really do that with a laptop in front of you.
I also think I have a really bad attention span, so I struggle with paying attention, especially at home when I notice my flat isn’t tidy. I definitely think there is a correlation between feeling appreciated at work and how you act when working at home.
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