When 'Premium Friday' was announced a while back by the government, we all kind of thought it was an elaborate prank. But turns out the deal is real, and today, Friday February 24, is the inaugural 'PF'. For those who don't know, Premium Friday was originally conjured up by movers and shakers in the Japanese business world to get people out and spending again (on food, travel, leisure, whatever) by letting them leave their offices around 3pm on the last Friday of every month, thus stimulating the economy and ensuring capitalism keeps on trundling along.
The reactions on Twitter in particular have been rather wide-ranging, from the simple 'Our company has nothing to do with Premium Friday' to 'Who's going to keep the business running in the meantime?' and 'Will something like this really impact consumer spending?' Indeed, it seems a lot of people would rather just go home at 3pm than spend the afternoon splashing cash elsewhere. But if you do feel up for the latter, we've got you covered.
Yes, the point is essentially to promote consumerism instead of, you know, combatting excessively long hours, but some say that the idea might actually lead to a diversification in working habits. Unfortunately enough, we here at Time Out won't be taking our Premium Fridays, but will more than make up for it with a good ol' Friday night.
Use the comments below to let us know whether your company has implemented Premium Fridays, and what your thoughts are on the entire endeavour.