Workers in Northland are the last to clock off, at 4.42pm and three in ten Kiwis leave work earlier than usual. People from the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay are more likely to treat Friday as any other day, mentally clocking off later than other regions, while Kiwis in Taranaki get the weekend started earlier than anyone else in the country, winding down around 2:45pm.
Key findings include:
· 41 per cent said they avoid dealing with difficult tasks on a Friday in anticipation of the weekend
· 64 per cent spend the last two hours of work arranging weekend plans
· 23 per cent use that time to browse Facebook
· 20 per cent phone and email friends and family
· 17 per cent browse news site or online banking
· 31 per cent avoid having meetings on a Friday afternoon
Mitre 10 Tauranga general manager Wayne Mansell said he wasn't surprised by the results which reflected the strong DIY culture in the region as well as a penchant for getting to the beach.
"Friday afternoons are always a busy time for us. We have a 'clear the floor by 3pm' policy which means everything is well stocked and ready for the crowds who want to get organised early for their weekend DIY projects," Mr Mansell said.
"Now that we're into spring, we're seeing people give some focus to their 'extra room', otherwise known as the garden. Fencing and other outdoor projects are also on the increase."
Of those doing DIY on a weekend, Aucklanders are most likely to be putting in storage and shelving (46 per cent), while those in Northland are all about fencing (33 per cent), and Kiwis in Hawke's Bay love to do lawn and garden maintenance (95 per cent). Wellingtonians are into DIY most frequently, followed by Manawatu-Wanganui and Canterbury.
University of Auckland senior lecturer in employee and organisational engagement Dr Helena Cooper-Thomas said recovery from the working week is important as it allows people to re-energise and return to work motivated and revitalised.
"If employees feel unproductive at the end of the week, there are some things they and their employers can do," Dr Cooper-Thomas said.
"For employees, they can think about what tasks they can still achieve - either tasks that they find motivating or tasks that will be useful but don't require a lot of cognitive or physical effort.
"Even those who work with normal energy levels may benefit from employers creating flexibilty so they can bring on the weekend early."
The survey was conducted in August 2014 and asked more than 1000 New Zealanders from across New Zealand about topics including their point of view on when they mentally switch off from work mode, anticipating the weekend and the activities they like to do.