Virgin Media has released data that reveals a drop in broadband traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months, with as much as an 8 per cent dip between 3-5pm compared to the winter, as remote workers clock off early. 

The Friday traffic drop-off comes from Virgin Media’s broadband network analysis, a reliable indicator of the connectivity habits of the British public. Alongside the network data, Virgin Media asked Brits about their work policies and working habits to fully understand the trend.

Nearly a third (30 per cent) of Brits say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer. But despite almost half of UK adults (48 per cent) saying they’re not authorised to finish early on a Friday, 32 per cent say they regularly log off with or without official permission.

Brits starting the weekend early 

In fact, a fifth (20 per cent) of Brits say that while they don’t have official early finishes, it’s now become informally accepted behaviour in their workplace.

This trend to finish earlier on a Friday comes as 61 per cent feel they’ve earned the right to do so after a busy week. In fact, the majority of Brits (59 per cent) say they don’t feel at all guilty about heading off early to start their weekend on Fridays.

The public believe that early Friday finishes actually improve productivity, with 63 per cent of Brits saying they feel more productive earlier in the week if they can look ahead to finishing earlier on Friday.

Out of the office, but still online 

Many Brits confess to working on the move on a Friday afternoon, with 15 per cent admitting to having worked from the train station, 14 per cent from the park, and 10 per cent from the pub, as the weekend beckons.

As many as 30 per cent of 18–24-year-olds confess they’ve worked from the car while travelling for the weekend. Nearly a quarter of Brits (24 per cent) say they’ve often secretly left work early but kept their work status to ‘active’ on a summer Friday.

Keeping the lights on  

Not everyone feels the benefit of an early summer Friday finish however, with over a third (37 per cent) saying they often plan to log off early on summer Fridays but typically end up working late. A quarter of Brits (25 per cent) also say they often feel pressure to stay available on summer Fridays, even after the end of the working day. This could explain why two thirds of (64 per cent) of the Brits working a full Friday say they wish their company had a formal summer Friday policy.

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, commented: “Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays. We’re continuing to boost our fixed and mobile networks so whether Brits are working from their local park, or finishing their work at home, we’re ready to keep them connected.”

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Consumer Behaviour, Research

Tags: broadband, Virgin Media O2