The proof that remote workers clock off early on Fridays
There is an an 8pc dip in internet traffic between 3-5pm at the end of the week during the summer months compared with the winter, broadband data released by Virgin Media showed.
At the same time nearly 61pc of workers think they have earned the right to log off early after four days of work.
The same survey by Virgin Media revealed that one in 10 admitted taking their laptops to the pub to get their weekend started early.
However, the majority (59pc) don't feel any guilt giving themselves an early clock-off, and believed dropping a few hours on a Friday makes them work harder during the week.
It comes amid struggling public sector productivity, which fell by 0.3pc in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The Telegraph revealed in April that more than 2,000 public sector workers were allowed to work from foreign countries. Yet the majority of civil servants believe remote working has had a positive impact on Whitehall, according to a survey by YouGov.
Bosses have started to order staff back to the office, with companies such as Amazon requesting five days a week in person.
Yet despite this, councils and charities are trialling four-day weeks with no pay reduction, with supporters claiming it can deliver more efficient working and attract better candidates for jobs.
This month South Cambridgeshire became the first council to permanently adopt a four-day week last week, including for bin collectors, council tax administrators and social housing officials. It is understood that as many as 25 councils are in talks with the Four Day Week Foundation, the campaign pushing for the change, despite warnings that reduced working hours do not represent the best possible value for money for residents and taxpayers.
In January the Four Day Week Foundation announced that 200 UK companies had signed up for a permanent four-day week.
Separately, an investigation by The Telegraph found that charities were reducing the working hours of their staff. Non-profit businesses making the change include the British Red Cross, which received £32m in government funding last year. It is trialling compressed hours, allowing some UK-based staff to work 32 hours rather than 35 a week.
If passed into law Labour's Employment Rights Bill will make the right to request flexible working the 'default', building on reforms under the previous Tory government that made flexible working available from the first day in a job.
Data from LinkedIn showed that 40pc of jobs advertised across the UK last November were hybrid roles, compared to fewer than one in three postings in Germany and France offering some sort of remote working.
LinkedIn said it was 'highly likely' that Britain would remain the capital of working from home in Europe for the foreseeable future.
Jeanie York, of Virgin Media O2, said: 'Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays.'
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