Fewer work on Fridays

NSB.Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix

There are noticeably fewer meetings at work on Fridays, but it does not go beyond productivity, says director Arild H. Steen at Work Research.

NSB stated that they have about 20 percent fewer passengers on rush hour trains around Oslo on Fridays. There are also significantly fewer tolls on the road around the capital.
In Bergen there are fewer passages using the toll booths, but the difference is not as great as in Oslo, stated the newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.
But although many have a flexible working day on Friday, but the flexibility is not equally divided, says institute director Steen.
There are seniors in the workplace and employees in banking, finance and private service sector that leads the way.
– “Losers” are those with so-called timed work. Here women are overrepresented, says Steen. It is far harder to be flexible when work is timed, so it tends to be on jobs such as in nursing homes, shops and factories.
– And in health care and retail women are a solid majority, says Steen.
But although many of them can choose to be flexible, they fear compromising productivity.
– Our research suggests that those with task controlled jobs work more than others. Focus on the job has no clear boundary.
It extends over several hours a day than in those who go by the shift clock 16, he said.
– In addition, the flexibility is undoubtedly a welfare gain.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today