Web traffic 8% lower from 3pm on summer Fridays

Broadband traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months is as much as 8% lower between 3pm and 5pm compared with 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 also asked Britons about their work policies and working habits to fully understand the trend.

Despite almost half of UK adults (48%) saying they are not authorised to finish early on Fridays, 32% said they regularly log off with or without permission. Nearly a third (30%) say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer.

One-fifth (20%) of Brits said that while they do not have official early finishes, it has now become informally accepted behaviour in their workplace.

Sixty-one per cent felt they had earned the right to finish early on Fridays after a busy week, and 59% said they do not feel at all guilty about starting their weekend early.

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

Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “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.”

As many as 30% of 18 to 24-year-olds confessed that they have worked from the car while travelling for the weekend. Nearly a quarter of Brits (24%) said they have often secretly left work early but kept their work status to ‘active’ on a summer Friday.

However, more than a third (37%) said that while they often plan to log off early on summer Fridays, they typically end up working late. A quarter (25%) said they often feel pressure to stay available on summer Fridays, even after the end of the working day.

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