Millions of workers switch off at 3.13pm on a Friday, at least two hours before the official end of working day, according to a survey by listings website Skiddle.

Confirming the long-held belief that Friday afternoons are a 'write off', around 80 per cent of desk-bound workers start chatting on Facebook after 3.13pm, whilst two thirds of female workers indulge in online shopping, says the report.

Arranging impromptu Friday afternoon ‘meetings’ is common practice for forty per cent of office workers, while by the mid afternoon one in three workers are looking up places to go for a night out.

Planning holidays away was popular for a quarter of employees, who researching hotel details online.

More than 3000 brits visiting the events website Skiddle.com were polled over a two week period. Richard Dyer, director of Skiddle, said: “by the time Friday afternoon comes around we start to switch off.”