What? Leave the Office Earlier? I’m totally on board with this celebration and will comply as soon as I’ve posted this map. The world got a bit of a shakeup when COVID hit as working from home became commonplace and it transpired that for many jobs the traditional office simply wasn’t necessary any more. Video-conferencing, Zoom, Meet, Skype, Teams, and no end of other collaborative wizardry meant it was just as easy to stay home, enjoy the place you presumably have furnished and decorated in your style, perhaps enjoy the coffee you prefer, and wear what the heck you want – all while still being a functioning adult capable of doing their job.

It turns out that people have tended to welcome the flexibility working from home has provided them with no particular impact on performance and productivity. In fact, for some, going to the office has now become a trudgery. You sit in your office, often with the door closed and spend the day on Teams calls, or listening to others in their offices on teams calls to others who are also in the building. Ridiculous! The coffee isn’t as good, the clothing requirements seem outmoded. The world has moved on, yet some have tried to insist on ye olde office.

So – just give up today and get out early. Enjoy some fresh air. Spend time with the family. Go shopping. Hit the beach. Whatever! just get out of the office. Early. Alternatively, move to Scandinavia where they figured this out long ago.

Original Prompt (ChatGPT)

For National Leave the Office Earlier Day can you make a map showing how different nations treat the working day. For example, I’m familiar with the idea that Scandinavian nations tend to encourage workers to start work early, and finish early. Others likely have longer working days, or perhaps prefer evening work. The map should therefore show the typical average time of the end of the working day for countries of the world. As far as style goes, maybe a witty transit-style world map with clocks replacing capitals.