The Mancunian Way: Fridays are not what they were

Keep up to date with all the big stories from across Greater Manchester in the daily Mancunian Way newsletter. You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.

Here's the Mancunian Way for Monday, October 10:

Hello

If you're one of the new breed of post-pandemic hybird workers, there's a good chance you'll be reading today's Mancunian Way from the comfort of your own home. That's because for many of us who now divide our week between the office and home, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are by far the most popular days to go into work.

In today's newsletter we'll take a look at the impact this new pattern of working is having on life in the city centre. We're also going to be singing the praises of Leigh, a town of just 40,000 people that by the end of 2022 will have hosted the rugby league World Cup and the football European Championships and we'll be checking out two very different types of eateries that have been earning national plaudits.

A recent survey found just 13% of staff are now going into the office on Fridays. It's because, as more and more firms adopt a form of hybrid-working, they're finding employees much prefer to work from home at the beginning and end of the week and go into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

It's helpful for the work/life balance and great if you're a parent of young kids. But it's also having a dramatic impact on the way we socialise and had an unforeseen effect on businesses. Alan Hudd, the licensee of the Briton's Protection, one of Manchester city centre's oldest pubs, says working from home has all but killed the Friday drink with workmates.

He said: "Thursday is like the new Friday. Fridays are very hit and miss