Hybrid workers are putting in 90 fewer minutes of work on Fridays - and an overall shift toward custom schedules could be undercutting collaboration

"For example, among professionals in occupations that can be done remotely, 35% to 40% worked remotely on Thursdays and Fridays in 2024, compared with only 15% in 2019. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, nearly 30% worked remotely, versus 10% to 15% five years earlier. And white-collar employees have also become more likely to log off from work early on Fridays."

"The American Time Use Survey, which the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts annually, asks thousands of Americans to recount how they spent the previous day, minute by minute. It tracks how long they spend working, commuting, doing housework and caregiving. Because these diaries cover both weekdays and weekends, and include information about whether respondents could work remotely, this survey offers the most detailed picture available of how the rhythms of work and life are changing."

Remote-capable professional work patterns shifted markedly between 2019 and 2024, with far higher remote shares on all weekdays and particularly Thursdays and Fridays. In 2024, 35–40% of such professionals worked remotely on Thursdays and Fridays, versus about 15% in 2019; nearly 30% worked remotely on Mondays through Wednesdays versus 10–15% previously. White-collar employees are more likely to end work earlier on Fridays, creating lighter end-of-week activity. The American Time Use Survey's minute-by-minute diaries capture locations and remote capability, enabling measurement of where, when and how Americans conduct paid work and revealing dramatic changes since the pandemic.

Read at The Conversation