"Employees Disappear on Fridays"... 'Hybrid Work' Changes Workplace Culture

Working from home on Fridays is becoming a new workplace culture in the United States. The photo is unrelated to any specific expressions in this article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Sumi Hwang] Recently, Fridays in the United States have been turning into days when employees do not go to the office. This shift is due to the full-scale adoption of hybrid work, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring inflation.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 15th (local time), working from home on Fridays has recently become a new workplace culture in the U.S. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, hybrid work?a mix of remote work and office attendance?has become widespread, leading to a sharp decline in office attendance on Fridays.

According to Castle Systems, which manages over 2,600 buildings across the U.S., only 30% of employees go to the office on Fridays during weekdays. Monday follows with 41%, and the rate rises to 50% from Tuesday onwards.

WP reported, "Fridays were once seen as days with long lunch breaks and early work finishes, but they are gradually becoming days when employees do not come to the office at all." Although this trend existed before the pandemic, it is now becoming a cultural norm. Peter Cappelli, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said, "Among workers, the perception that 'Friday is a work-from-home day to transition into the weekend' is spreading."

Because of this, some workplaces are deploying food trucks, wine carts, and even karaoke facilities to increase office attendance, WP reported. Financial institutions such as Citigroup and KPMG allow casual dress on Fridays and have even banned online meetings on that day.

On the other hand, some startups have officially adopted a four-day workweek. Crowdfunding startup Kickstarter and online secondhand goods retailer ThredUp introduced a four-day workweek on a trial basis earlier this year, reporting that employees’ work efficiency improved, ultimately leading to increased productivity and satisfaction.

In fact, remote work is becoming widely accepted in the U.S. According to CBS News, many companies initially planned to return to office work after COVID-19 became endemic but have increasingly allowed remote work due to recent inflation hikes.

Moreover, a Morning Consult survey found that 82% of U.S. workers in jobs that allow remote work want to continue working from home. The rate is especially high in sectors such as finance, insurance, real estate, and education. Reasons for preferring remote work include reduced commuting costs and stress, more efficient use of time, and significant help with childcare.

According to CBS, the number of workers agreeing to refrain from demanding wage increases in exchange for remote work is also rising. These workers request to work from home two to three days a week but consider their employers’ positions by agreeing to hold off on wage increases or even accept wage freezes or cuts.

Indeed, a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) shows an increase in jobs and companies linking remote work with wage restraint. Additionally, while the average wage increase rate among U.S. companies over the past 12 months was 5.4%, it is expected to decrease to 4.9%. Considering that U.S. consumer prices surged 9.1% in June, this is seen as an unusual phenomenon.