Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes to pre-weekend work.
The study, which surveyed 500 workers across various trades, showed that a majority of tradespeople – like workers in many other professions – lose concentration as the end of the week edges closer. However, many of them were seemingly very relaxed about this dip in productivity, despite the potentially expensive consequences for their customers.
One worker, who asked not to be named, confessed: “It was Friday afternoon – I knew that light switch was upside down, and shame on me, but it was time to go to the pub.”
Another, who confessed to rushing interior decorating jobs in the run-up to the weekend, said: “It’s almost traditional now – Friday afternoon jobs get done quickly so you can have an early finish for the weekend. Everybody does it!”
JR a web designer from Leeds said: “I should have spent more time making that website perfect so google could find it, but it still works.”
Sam, a decorator from London, also said: “I didn’t use masking tape and lets just say I hope that customer is blind as those lines are not straight.”
“Not only do these ‘Friday jobs’ tend to result in problems which can cost consumers dearly further down the line, they also open up a can of worms when it comes to health and safety. If the correct precautions aren’t taken due to workers being preoccupied, trade businesses could be liable for much more than just complaints and money spent fixing botched jobs,” said Chris Hall, spokesperson for Protecting.co.uk.
“Failing to follow correct protocol such as protective clothing regulations or correctly storing hazardous substances on-site because workers are eager to get the job finished could have very grave consequences. It is up to businesses to ensure their employees are correctly trained and aware of the requirements for their role – and, of course, to protect themselves against complaints or expensive remedial work for customers,” he added.
There are steps businesses can take to reduce dangerous errors as a result of ‘Friday jobs’, Hall noted. Properly assessing health and safety requirements for each job and then training employees accordingly will increase overall caution taken, but he added that it was also key to tackle the causes of the drop in productivity.
