National go home on time day: What is it and who invented it?

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“National go home on time day” might not sound like a legitimate holiday, but in today’s hardworking culture, it could be a necessary one.

Burnout is now a recognised medical condition and according to a recent study of 2,000 UK employees, one in four people feel that overworking prevents them from improving their mental wellbeing.

Additionally, 36 per cent said they're unable to improve their physical fitness because of their working hours.

On Friday 21 June, people around the UK will be encouraged to stick to their contracted hours and leave work on time.

Read on for everything you need to know about National go home on time day, from who invented it to why we need it.

What is National go home on time day?

“National go home on time day” is a day that encourages workers to leave their offices on time in order to promote a healthy work-life balance.

Organisers are encouraging participants to unplug from the stress of their daily lives and go home to spend time with their loved ones.

The day takes place on the longest day of the year, Friday 21 June, which is also known as the summer solstice.

Who invented it?

The day was created by the charity Working Families, which is the UK’s leading work-life balance charity.

The organisation provides free legal advice to parents and carers on their employment rights and offers employers tools to support their employees and promote a flexible approach to working life.

What is the purpose of the day?

In its Facebook event for the day, Working Families has said it hopes to “start a national discussion that puts work life balance and employee wellbeing at the forefront and stresses that finishing work on time should be the norm, not the exception".

Jane Van Zyl, chief executive at Working Families, said that prioritising a work-life balance can benefit both businesses and employees.

"Working people who are burnt out and disengaged are not going to perform as well – which is bad for business, bad for the economy, and perhaps most crucially, bad for families,” she stated.

"Go home on time day is a chance for working people across the UK to unplug and spend time with loved ones. And it’s an opportunity for employers to consider what improvements they can make to their workplace culture to support their employees’ wellbeing. Our aim is for going home on time to be the norm, not the exception.”

How are people celebrating it?

Aside from simply going home on time on Friday, people taking part in the day are encouraged to share news of their prompt departures from the office on social media under the hashtag #gohomeontime.

Word is already spreading on Twitter, with one person writing: "I need no further encouragement to leave the office bang on time this evening."

Another added: "This is an important message and I will be encouraging my colleagues to #gohomeontime and enjoy the sunshine!"