• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

3

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

3

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Successreturn to office

It’s Friday: The day you’re not in the office and probably never will be again

By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 15, 2022, 3:00 PM ET
Empty desks near window in office.
Nobody is coming into the office on a Friday. Ever again.Alex Kraus—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

While coming into work at all is tepidly popular, coming in on Fridays borders on the unthinkable. 

Last month, only 30% of office workers went into the office on Fridays, the least of any weekday, according to data property management and security firm Kastle Systems provided to Fortune that analyzed in-office traffic from the top 10 U.S. cities. It’s consistent with in-office data from May and April, as the graph below shows:

Workers just hate going into the office before or after the weekend, with Monday as the next least popular day. Most came in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but even that topped out at 50% capacity. 

It’s not hard to read the writing on the wall: In an era of rapidly changing work culture, Fridays in the office are just about extinct. And for company leadership, perhaps they’re not worth the effort of reviving, because nobody liked them in the first place.

After all, summer Fridays were once a sought-after perk only a handful of companies offered. Employees who get them roundly appreciate the ability to skip out of work and start the weekend early—especially on a gorgeous day.

But the flexibility of our remote-work era might have made the Before Times summer Friday perk redundant, mused Fortune’s Trey Williams. “When your boss isn’t sitting in the same room as you, who’s to know if you start happy hour a little earlier on a Friday?” he wrote.

It’s a good question—and it points to just how far we’ve come from the five-days-a-week in the office lifestyle and its accompanying norms. Not only are workers refusing to go back to the office in major metro areas, they’re craving a four-day workweek—period.

In a January 2022 Qualtrics survey, 92% of U.S. workers said they were in favor of working four days a week, and 72% said they’d prefer that even if it meant extending Monday through Thursday work hours.

Many executives deeply believe the office is important for “getting the most out of a company,” Mark Ein, Kastle Systems’ chairman, told Fortune in May. “But they have to remember: White-collar workers were in the office 60% to 70% of the time pre-COVID anyway. They were on business trips or off-site meetings. One-hundred-percent attendance doesn’t have to be the goal.”

Companies that attempt to force employees back to the office stand to hemorrhage talent, considering that 40% of workers would quit or look for another job if their company mandated a full office return.

The most successful hybrid companies focus on supporting the actual work, not stressing about where it happens, Zach Dunn, cofounder of hybrid workplace management platform Robin, told Fortune. Insisting on in-office work is at best shortsighted, and at worst unproductive, he added. “Employees already know this: Focus on output, not ID swipes.”

In an era of flexibility above all else, a four-day workweek, or even a summer Friday, could be a foolproof retention strategy. Certainly, it caters to workers’ desires more than pinball or Lizzo concerts do. But at the very least, bosses should get comfortable with empty office buildings in the hours before the weekend. Workers have made themselves clear: They'll never be at their office desks on Fridays. 

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Jane Thier
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Success

Mark Cuban’s cofounder once told him: ‘We don’t get as much done because people are afraid of you’
C-SuiteMark Cuban
Mark Cuban’s cofounder once told him: ‘We don’t get as much done because people are afraid of you’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 31, 2026
4 hours ago
laptop
North AmericaEducation
The post-pandemic classroom is quietly ditching the laptop-for-every-kid model
By Janice Mak and The ConversationJuly 31, 2026
6 hours ago
‘Retiring backwards’: How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers’ golden years
SuccessRetirement
‘Retiring backwards’: How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers’ golden years
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
6 hours ago
Young Gen Z content creator films videos
Successinfluencers
More than half of Gen Zers want to become influencers—so now Arizona State University is offering a content creation degree for $142K
By Emma BurleighJuly 31, 2026
6 hours ago
Jensen Huang speaks into a microphone
SuccessCareers
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: ‘How hard can it be?’
By Preston ForeJuly 31, 2026
6 hours ago
national guard
LawCrime
National Guard major rented hotel rooms on the government’s dime just to hide a second wife, prosecutors say
By Jonathan J. Cooper and The Associated PressJuly 31, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
15 hours ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
21 hours ago
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
15 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
6 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.