Got that Friday Feeling

Friday is consistently the least productive day of the week. As a nation, have we just become less concerned about doing a five-day week or are we not providing the right focus on a Friday?

The Time Use Survey 2000 indicates that the average number of minutes worked per person is around 360 minutes (6 hours) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, falling to 324 minutes on Mondays and 317 minutes of Fridays.

In last year’s autumn statement, the chancellor’s main emphasis was on improving productivity. It stated that the UK labour productivity, as measured on an output per hour basis, was 18 percentage points below the average of other G7 countries; 35 percentage points below Germany; and 30 percentage points below the US.

The first quarter 2017 ONS survey states that labour productivity Jan to Mar 2017 fell in services by around 0.6% on the previous quarter.

So how does this affect your brand?

Profit and consistency are the perfect combination for raising your brand’s profile.

It doesn’t take much to do the maths. If we take an average charge out rate for an SME professional services firm at around £120.00 per hour, the loss is circa £6k for the year on one member of staff. Multiply this by 25 staff, then at least £150k off the bottom line. Get up to the 200s then this is getting closer to 8 times that.

In addition to labour, the potential cost of losing a major client opportunity to your competition would leave more than a sour taste.

Successful brands have to reinvest in their business to build a profile. Imagine what you could do with £150k as part of your marketing spend?

How your brand can reclaim your Friday productivity

1. Be there yourself. If you are the boss and ‘work from home on a Friday’, staff will adopt the same behaviour.

2. Motivate staff to celebrate Friday at work. Why not consider introducing New Music Friday playlist or dress down Friday? You could set up a #focussedfriday competition – staff can suggest ways to celebrate Friday’s at work.

3. #FocussedFriday. Use Friday’s to plan the following week. Team scrum and cakes at 4.30pm to prepare for the following week?

4. More haste, less speed. Encourage staff to pace themselves. Get them to review their Friday plan on a Monday morning. Whilst some tasks take priority, you have a whole week to complete your plan!

5. Encourage staff to see Friday as a work day. Hold important internal meetings or team building days.