Bay workers switch off earlier than the rest of NZ on Fridays

LOGGED OUT: Bay of Plenty employees have a penchant for getting to the beach.

Weekends are a big distraction for Bay workers, many of whom switch off two hours before the end of work on Friday.

Colmar Brunton research shows workers in the Bay tend to drop down a gear at 2.58pm on Friday, half-an-hour before the national average of 3.29pm.

Bay workers also leave the office 15 minutes earlier than the national average of 3.50pm.

The research, commissioned by Mitre 10 and conducted in August, looked at New Zealanders' habits in anticipation of the weekend.

Key findings nationally included 41 per cent of respondents said they avoided dealing with difficult tasks on a Friday in anticipation of the weekend and 64 per cent spent the last two hours of work arranging weekend plans.

Andrew Coker, Priority One chief executive, said the entrepreneurial-type business he dealt with regularly no longer conformed to the nine-to-five workday of the past. Working with overseas markets meant many companies now worked vastly different hours because of time differences.

"I'm surprised the other cities in New Zealand are so far behind us in this."

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," he said.

"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."