3 Things to Avoid in the office on a Friday

1. Don't Ask For a Pay Rise
An absolute no no for a Friday. Not only will your boss' mind not be focused on that - its Friday for him or her too remember and they are mentally gearing up for the weekend, but it means you have given them something 'difficult' to think about just as they start their weekend and they may resent you for that. All in all, you always want the answer to be favourable so give yourself better odds and leave it till a weekday. Wednesday is recommended as the best day to ask if you want your employer to be receptive to a pay request. Make sure you've done your homework and you are clear why you deserve it and what you are willing to do should the answer be no.


2. Don't Go Into Weekend Mode At Lunch Time
That Friday feeling is universal with many workers 'slacking off' on a Friday afternoon is not uncommon however, if you are strategic about Friday afternoons, you can get lots of work done that will make your Monday morning much easier and more manageable. Do the awkward little jobs that you know you'll dread doing next week and get them out the way. the satisfaction from doing them will kickstart your weekend and make Monday so much easier. try doing a to do list for Monday so you don't think about Monday on Sunday. Then have a little fun...


3. Don't book important meetings after 2pm
As above, many people mentally switch off on Friday afternoon and so relying on the same level of efficiency is a bit of a tall order. Work around this and try and arrange the most important meetings for the first half of the day if you have to do them on Friday or save them for a weekday when people are more focused. Its much more efficient.





Photograph by sfllaw (Flickr)