Australians drink to 'Poets Day'

Many Australians offices commence work on

Across the Tasman, they call it Poets Day, and it's an institution.

The tradition of knocking off early at week's end - an acronym of "piss off early, tomorrow's Saturday" - is firmly ingrained in Sydney's working culture, with many offices commencing "lazy Fridays" with drinks from as early as 3pm, according to the Daily Telegraph.

"The Friday early head-to-the-pub is almost the unwritten rule. I'm not sure too many companies would advertise it, but it happens everywhere," one bank spokeswoman told the newspaper.

Sydney Chamber of Commerce spokesman Chris Taylor said the trend was working wonders for staff morale.

"With workplace flexibility on the rise, businesses are finding more social options to balance the working life. There is a growing trend of people leaving a bit earlier on a Friday, but they are staying and working later on a Tuesday."

But, sadly, the tradition has yet to catch on with hard-working Kiwis, who are still behind their desks at a time when their Australian counterparts are popping corks.

Alasdair Thompson, of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, said he was not aware of a widespread "lazy Friday" phenomenon in Auckland, but individual businesses had their own ways of winding down the working week.

Helen Kelly, of the Council of Trade Unions, said managers might be able to duck out early on a Friday, but most workers did not have that luxury.