Fast Company Daily Remote and hybrid workers work less on Fridays. It’s hurting collaboration
Nov 20, 2025
The podcast dives into the evolving landscape of remote work, highlighting a significant drop in productivity on Fridays—about 90 minutes less since 2019. It discusses how the blurring of work and leisure has transformed Fridays into informal leisure days. While Wednesdays see an uptick in work, the shift hampers collaboration, leading to coordination challenges. The conversation also touches on the benefits of flexibility, but warns that individualized schedules might hurt team dynamics in the long run.
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Fridays Shrink For Remote-Capable Workers
- Remote-capable employees worked about 90 fewer minutes on Fridays in 2024 compared with 2019.
- They shifted some hours to other weekdays, especially working more on Wednesdays.
Time Diaries Reveal New Remote Patterns
- Time-use diaries show where and when people work, revealing larger remote shares on Thursdays and Fridays.
- Hybrid routines now concentrate remote work later in the week more than before the pandemic.
Friday Reduction Often Becomes Leisure
- Much of the reduced Friday work time has gone to leisure rather than being redistributed entirely across weekdays.
- The informal cultural easing into weekends was amplified by remote work.