Summer Fridays in Manitoba

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2011 (4889 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over the past few years… a new digital signal has come along which perhaps more than other, is a sign that summer good times are going down in Winnipeg. It goes like this…

Since we’ve all adopted Blackberries or whatever device you use to ensure we’re always working, there is a definitive difference between winter and summer in Manitoba.

During the winter, I tend to get an unusually high number of work related e-mails and messages on Fridays. Everyone seems to work right through to the final bell. Friday, as it appears on your handheld device, is the same as every other winter workday, perhaps even busier. Proposals are exchanged, clarifications are required, deals and terms are discussed.

Friday, as it appears on your handheld device in the summer, is unlike any other workday during the rest of the year. When the sun is out on any given Friday during the summer, business action on your phone simply grinds to a halt. It’s the best thing ever. The “closed” sign is hung up roughly 4 hours before the official end of the day. Instead of business e-mails and messages, your phone blows up with invites to a patio that started with lunch and has turned into an entire afternoon. There is more gold being played then there are boardroom meetings. It’s awesome. Even if you’re on the other side, and stuck in the office while the sun beams through the windows and mocks you for not being outside… you can at least catch up as there is little new business coming in to attend to.

I think this province should go to a 4-day work week during the summer. Seriously.

— Ace Burpess / It’s a Winnipeg Thing