Is condensed hours only beneficial for those with kids?

Posted by Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 196 comments

At my workplace, the standard full time hour work frame is 35 hrs. You can start work from 8-10am and then finish accordingly from 4-6pm. There's an option for flexible working where you work 8am-6pm Mon-Weds, 9am-6pm Thurs then you have every Friday as a non-working day. So essentially a four day work week and three day weekend. Am I the only who thinks this is extremely long of a day. I feel like you'd just spend the Friday recovering anyway. I'm in my early 20s and you get two days wfh anyway so I'm not sure I see the incentive of this Does anyone work these condensed hours or similar and do you find it beneficial over the standard 5 day working week?

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Select-Blood-1778@reddit

You need a whole day to recover from 4 10hr shifts, from a desk job and you're in your 20's? Perhaps you may need to consider seeing a GP for some blood tests, sounds like you maybe have a vitamin deficiency or something else going on?

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

lol I haven't tried it but I'm just considering it. I get tired quite easily and I'm generally a lazy person. I've been to GP's countless of times - they keep saying there's nothing wrong with me and it makes it look like I'm lying. Now I just suffer in silence

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peppermint_aero@reddit

GPs are notoriously bad at dismissing young people whose symptoms are not immediately obvious. Especially if you're female - I don't know your gender OP, but that may come into play? Don't let them fob you off. "This intense fatigue is affecting my ability to work and my quality of life, even after following standard advice on the NHS websites. I'd like a referral to a specialist please."

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Yes I'm a female unfortunately early 20s 🙂‍↕️ I've tried so many times I'm kinda exhausted of speaking o them and no one listening to me

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Alive-Accountant1917@reddit

No you can’t put up with that. I had the same thing when I was in my early 20s until the point where I literally left the GP, who had suggested if I exercise more I’d be less tired 🙄, burst into tears tears at the reception and they got me seen by another GP. After months of me going back and forth, this new GP finally agreed that it was not normal that I would get home and collapse where I was standing and physically could not get up because I was so tired. I had family history of MS so they spent several more months sending me for CT scans, MRI scans, neurologist, rheumatologist, etc trying to find out what was wrong. They finally did a blood test and I had low vitamin D 🙃 ask for a blood test!! It could be a really simple fix - even if you think you eat well

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Suspicious_Tax8577@reddit

I did similar. Got told to get more sleep and go on a diet by practice nurse. Cried at the receptionist and just went "would you be happy if your mum was so confused she couldn't remember the names of people she's familiar with, and nearly blacking out on climbing a flight of stairs, for her to be fobbed off with "go on a diet and lose weight" by the practice nurse? 20 mins later say duty Dr who took one look at me, heard what the nurse had done and hit the roof. And absolute tonne of bloods were requested, on the form basically everything but troponins. haemoglobin and ferritin through the floor.

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peppermint_aero@reddit

I'm so sorry. It's really shitty BUT can you take someone with you to an appointment? Just to help you remember things and to advocate for you?

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

When I take my parent with me, I do find it helps. Still I've made multiple appointments about the same issue, even sent to A&E, wasted a day and sent back and they looked puzzled as to why I'm even there

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snarkycrumpet@reddit

I'm not saying you have this, but my sister was dismissed for ages with symptoms of leukemia which then killed her. nhs gps are very good at ignoring or downplaying women's issues. I'd keep going.

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LunaValley@reddit

Has the GP checked your ferritin? It’s overlooked all the time in women. And they’ll tell you it’s normal, when it’s far from it.

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quantum_splicer@reddit

Ever had glandular fever ?

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I've never heard of that

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quantum_splicer@reddit

Can sometimes mimic tonsillitis at first ( https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/glandular-fever/ ) If you've ever had that or swine flu or fatigue that has persisted after a viral infection, you can sometimes get post viral fatigue that never goes away. Can be like chronic fatigue syndrome.

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BiscuitBarrel179@reddit

As someone that's done 4x12 hour day/night shifts for over 20 years this made me chuckle. Thank you.

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New_Line4049@reddit

8AM to 6PM is a long day if youre not used to it, but in some industries 12+hr days are the norm. Its ultimately what you get used to. Personally I think having a weekday off is handy, extra time to go to all those buisnesses with awkward opening times that are only open while Im at work. Also allows you to avoid the crowds some places. At my place we do a half day on Fridays, with the other half day spread through the rest of the week, I find having half a day off on Friday really useful. Can get my weekly shop in while the shops are fairly quiet. Run various other errands I need to do, or just chill out so Im starting my weekend a bit fresher. Also handy for me as I travel up the country to visit family semi regularly, so the half day means, if Im organised, I can set off from work and get to my families place Friday evening, which in effect saves me a day, as if I set off Saturday morning, by the time I get there there's not enough of Saturday left to do much with, and Ive usually not got the energy after hours on the road anyway.

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Silver_Emu4704@reddit

How productive are those people from the 9th to 12th hour of their day is what I always wonder. But maybe I'm wrong.

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frikadela01@reddit

Having spent years working 12 hours shifts you get used to the hours and for the most part dont need entire days to "recover". I now work mon-fri 9-5 and really miss the weekdays I had off. A 3 day weekend gives a lot of options.

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Littlelindsey@reddit

Yeah I’ve been doing 12 hour shifts for so long that I don’t think I could go back to 9-5. I don’t want to do my shopping on a Saturday when it’s really busy

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frikadela01@reddit

Its painful, I wont lie, I get in and out as fast as I can. I was very reluctant to go to 9-5 but overall it has been better for my work life balance and better for the kids but I miss the 12 hour shifts.

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soverytiiiired@reddit

Same. While I’d never go back to the inconsistency that is working in hospitality, having random weekdays off when the rest of the world was at work was bliss.

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Littlelindsey@reddit

I would rather do longer days and have more time off personally. Mind you I’ve been doing 12 hour shifts for over a decade

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Aggravating_Water_39@reddit

Are you kidding? I work those hours daily without the Friday off 🤣

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

lol I'm not used to it yet. It's my first year in the world of work

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SquareFirefighter850@reddit

I work compressed hours 9-6:45 Monday to Thursday for mental health reasons. When I worked Monday to Friday I really struggled to separate work from life, and the weekends felt like a rush between life admin/housework/seeing friends and family/having rest periods. Now I have a day to do life admin, housework, etc and having this on a weekday means it's slightly more quiet and peaceful. A day to see family/friends, and a day to do next to nothing to recharge. I've seen a huge improvement to my mental health and ability to put work down.

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UsediPhoneSalesman@reddit

Lol I work 8-6 daily

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nfurnoh@reddit

I’m 56 with a teen and I’m just about to start a trial of working a similar 4 day schedule. It’s mainly because the weekends simply aren’t long enough. I think an extra day may be beneficial so I’ll give it a go.

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adamlbrown3@reddit

Surely it's totally useless if you have kids because schools don't do condensed hours do they, so you end up spending less time with them

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opopkl@reddit

What kind of work is it?

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Office job

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opopkl@reddit

Ten hours should be easily achievable. It’s not as if you’re on your knees hewing coal.

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ShirtedRhino2@reddit

A lot of people where I work do a 9 day fortnight (normally every other Friday off).

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I think I'm leaning more towards this.

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teamonkfish89@reddit

Yes I used to do this (also as a single childfree person) and I absolutely loved it. Working 9 to 5.30 isn't that much longer than 9 to 5 and it was amazing having the extra day off every other week. I agree that I would find working until 6 too much so this is a nice in between.

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noodledoodledoo@reddit

No, I'd love to do condensed hours. - 3 day weekend is so useful. You can do things on the Friday without the weekend crowds, go to places that are closed or have reduced hours on weekends etc. - One less day to commute (if applicable). - The extra day of rest is actually restful. It takes a day or two to actually start to feel relaxed so that extra day really helps. - An extra 1-2 hours a day at work doesn't usually mean an extra 1-2 hours grind. Think about how much time people waste in the office during the day. You're spreading that time over the other 4 days as well as the work. - It's also potentially handy for some tasks. There's days when I don't start certain tasks after 4pm because I know they'll take longer and be worse quaility if I do an hour today and two hours tomorrow. Depending on the nature of your job, the extra hour or two can actually make your work get done in less time total which leaves more time for coffee breaks generally.

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Jasey12@reddit

I love “condensed hours” I work Monday and Tuesday, 10:00 - 22:00 , my commute is about 10 minutes, so I effectively write those 2 days off as I can’t really do anything before or after, luckily I can survive on atleast 5 hours of sleep, on a Wednesday I do 10:00 - 17:00, this feels like a half day as it’s only 7 hours, this gives me a bit of an evening with my wife and kids, and then Thursday I do 07:00 until 15:00, and then I’m done, I get Friday/saturday & Sunday off.

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Send_bird_pics@reddit

I do 8:00-5:30pm 4 days a week with a day off. It’s dreamy. I’m so used to it. It’s great!

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BFastBtch@reddit

Condensed hours for Mums…or the hidden burden of motherhood! So many people think women are so lucky to be offered flexibility to condense hours but the reality more often than not is working crazy hours, then having an extra day where you have to look after the kids by yourself and do all the housework and somehow this is seen as you getting all the benefits and a wee extra day off! Apologies, rant over. I think without kids it’s doable on a 35 hour contract and would be worth it for the day off. This also depends on commute times etc. though.

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BigJDizzleMaNizzles@reddit

I work 8-5 M-Th and ~~play truant~~ WFH on a Fri. Came from doing 5-5 4 on 4 off. I much prefer this. There's something to be said for being at home in the evenings and not having to drag your arse out of bed in the middle of the night to be at work at 5am. I'd much prefer to to officially have Fridays off though. I phone it in and if I've got meetings etc I'll be on them but not much getting done on a Friday. Nominally I should work 37.5h a week. Based on 9-5 with half hour lunch. I eat at my desk and just give an hour for free because that's what everyone does so if I do a couple of hours of teams calls and emails on a Friday and skive off the rest of the day I don't feel so bad.

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Slowcooker-Fudge@reddit

Yeah if anything I’d argue it’s pretty useless for a lot of people with kids because school/after school clubs etc aren’t going to cover the 7am-7pm ish that you’d need (assuming commuting). I’d like to explore it when my kids are older because I’d like to have a dedicated slot to spend on a hobby that I’d really like to improve my skills in.

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nickenchuggets27@reddit

Think it also depends on your job. I have the option to do 4 days a week but I don't have enough work to do to work 8.00 - 18.00.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I think this is my problem. It'd be fine if I was acc busy but I'm so bored at work as it is

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gouplesblog@reddit

Yes, it worked for me when it was an option. I did those hours, then used the Friday to do the food shop and house work, (after still having a few extra hours in bed), which meant that every weekend was completely 'fun time'.

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AmLa1234@reddit

I condense 37.5 hours into 4 days. Been doing it for nearly 2.5 years. Long days are tough to start with, but honestly the 50% more weekend is fully worth it. My husband and I don't have kids, so for us we use it to do life admin or travel to places we're staying over the weekend (or we travel on the Thursday night and extend our stay!). It leaves our Saturday and Sunday to actually do the things we enjoy. I'd honestly recommend it, but everyone is different.

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bramleyapple1@reddit

You get used to the hours pretty quickly. If you have a long commute it might get a bit miserable, but otherwise 3 day weekend is well worth it. Then again nothing wrong if its not for you!

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

My commute is like 40 mins to an hour depending on traffic but then again if I finish at 6pm I might get home quicker?

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bramleyapple1@reddit

Yeah thats a good point you might actually get home quicker! Personally, switching to 4 condensed days has been brilliant I would never go back. You can really unwind and decompress on the 3 days you're off. I'm busy enough at work that its never a drag either, so the longer days don't really feel longer. I don't have a long commute but even if I did I guess I would much rather do 4 days commuting instead of 5. In your case you're saving about an extra 2 hours a week.

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LetsAdultTogether@reddit

So i do 10 days condensed into 9. This means im off every two weeks on a friday on a 35h contract. Love it

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I'm leaning more towards this

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LetsAdultTogether@reddit

Yes, I would definitely approach HR about this then. I did it...didn't think I would get it as I have no kids, no caring responsibilities, not studying so to some ppl no real reason to want the time off. I got it approved and been doing this for over a year now

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BelguimMalli@reddit

I do not see a negative. A four day week is just so handy for so many reasons.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Don't u find on the days you are working that you don't have time for anything else, especially with commuting?

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Colleen987@reddit

By commute is 7 minutes. 10 if there’s traffic.

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eraserway@reddit

It's great for people with a short commute (or working from home). Personally I already feel like I don't have time for anything else even with a 9-5 day. Having an entire day off feels like so much more time.

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Asher-D@reddit

And great for those with a long commute, it means one less long commute.

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Immediate-Escalator@reddit

Plus starting earlier and finishing later means missing some of the worst traffic

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BrexitVoter@reddit

Depends where you live, but that communiting might work out like this - 1. 4 day week - 4 hours commuting; half hour each way, because you're not in the thick or rush hour. 2. 5 day week - 10 blues of communitng; an hour each way, coz you're more likely to be in the thick of rush hour It's a little different at your place because you have the option to start at 8 or 10, but for a lot of people, the 4 day week makes their start time 8 where it would normally be 9, and so the commute can literally be double. For your workplace, with that flexibility, worst case scenario you are still getting to skip a day's worth of commute

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jamjars222@reddit

That sounds amazing to have as an option

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WolfColaCo2020@reddit

Everybody I know who has ever tried compressed hours because they liked the thought of having Friday off have reverted back to normal hours because they’d flog themselves those other 4 days

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ghodsgift@reddit

Im still extremely skeptical about condensed hours in terms of getting real, tangible output. In a normal 8-5 hours, people tend to slow down around 3pm. So if youre keeping staff in to say, 6pm, youre absolutely not getting productive work out of that on a regular basis.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

That's what I think but maybe I'm not busy enough. I'm always ready to leave at like 3pm

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Khaleesi1536@reddit

I’m fully childfree, will never have kids. I work compressed hours over 4 days with Fridays off, granted it’s flexitime so I start around half 6 and finish around 4. I wouldn’t want to be working until 6pm. I would never ever want to go back. A 4-day work week should be standard at this point, but compressed hours is a close second.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

My work won't allow me to start this early. The earliest we can start is 8am

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feetflatontheground@reddit

You can end up with (seemingly) more leave too. It depends on if your leave is worked out in days or hours. Assuming it's days. If you want to take a 2-week holiday you only need to take 8 days off, compared to 10. We're still getting the same 20 (or whatever) days off, but on a compressed week, yours are going a lot further.

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horriblebear@reddit

Usually this is adjusted, I'm afraid. I work 10 days in 9 on a 35-hour contract. A normal working pattern costs 7 hours of leave to take off a day, but for me it costs 7.78h of leave to take a day - even though our AL is technically 30 days, it just gets converted to hours for those with odd working patterns. I do however circumvent this by taking off the 4 days in my week with the non-working day, so a week off only costs me 31.12h rather than 35. But I work a 38.9h week the next week and so it works out.

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LetsAdultTogether@reddit

Absolutely correct. I work the same pattern as you

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frikadela01@reddit

Yeah, every time I've known someone do condensed hours their annual leave is just worked out in hours rather than days. Imagine finding out your colleague who works the same amount of hours as you but compressed is actually getting more annual leave, dont think it would go down well.

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jasmith2706@reddit

This is incorrect you end up with exactly the same amount of leave.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Oh I didn't think about this. Yes, bc AL days would stay the same. That's a good benefit

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UnablePackage5973@reddit

Yeah I thought it was too much too so instead I do a condensed 9-day fortnight, only an extra 50 minutes a day for a 37.5 hour week. Much more manageable and every other week I get a lovely day off!

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ThatLNGuy@reddit

I did this for a while. Honestly you dont notice the extra on the days you are in as youd be in for most of those days anyways. The extra day you can do anything you want

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rubysmam@reddit

I've been doing this since October, I was shattered in the beginning I seemed to spend half of Friday in bed. I've got used to the longer hours now, get my cleaning & shopping done on Friday & have the whole weekend to see family, work in the garden or go out for the day. I love not thinking about work for 3 days straight every week I would not go back to 5 days if I had the choice

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Sparko_Marco@reddit

For me it doesn't seen beneficial for those with kids because longer days doesn't fit around school times. I wouldn't be able to start that early or finish that late on the days I work and Friday off makes no difference when kids are at school. It might benefit younger people without kids, I know when I was in my 20s a 3 day weekend would have been great as I went out drinking every Thurs, Fri and Sat night.

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baxty23@reddit

In many, many, office jobs you work 0800-1800 five days a week anyway

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txteva@reddit

I've been on condensed hours for years (pre 2020) 8am-6pm Mon - Wed, Fri and Thursday off (plus weekends). 30 mins for lunch. No kids but I was having a number of hospital appointments at the time so it was easier to use my day off for those plus hair appointments, chilled supermarket shopping etc. I still have it and really value the time - wouldn't change back to standard days. It can be long days and I do need a lay in on my Thursdays or at the weekend. If I have to move my non working day and do 4 days in a row then I definitely feel it. But being able to book mid week appointments is really useful. And I can book off just a Friday and have a really long weekend! Our office is open 8 til 6pm so it works out well for the company to have someone on the longer shifts (there's about 3 of us on condensed hours but the other 20+ are on normal hours).

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stillanmcrfan@reddit

Different folks differ strokes. For anyone who likes it. A lot feel the same as you.

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WesternUnusual2713@reddit

I'd much rather work condensed hours (and sort of do in a pub I guess). I love having an extra day to do Nothing (if I want to) and then two more days to do Things and Stuff.

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BG3restart@reddit

I worked full-time hours over 4 days after my dad died so that I could spend more time with my mum. She was elderly and bewildered. She'd never learned to drive, so I took her shopping and to medical appointments and just kept her company.

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Quiet_Ad_9618@reddit

I have recently changed to condensed hours and love it, I have time to get my admin done before people start working first and last thing and 3 day weekends are brilliant

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Fizl99@reddit

I did condensed ours for 5 years. I loved having 3 day weekends every week

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AgeOfCardiff@reddit

No, bizarre take. I would bloody love to have 3 day weekends every weekend. Also don't forget you have leave on top of that. So at least 28 weeks (likely more) on average you'd be doing only 3 days a week. I had something similar in my 20s, Thursday nights were my Friday nights. I'd go out to the pub, then on Friday cycle/run/gym then on Saturday back to the pub. It was fantastic. If you need a day to recover after 4 days in what sounds like an office role I have some bad news about your 30s..

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spiderham42@reddit

My work has the option to do a four day week. I think this benefits anyone that wants an extra day off per week rather than just parents.

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Rowanx3@reddit

I work 5, 10-12 hour days and my ideal would be 4 12. Even on days where i get to do 8 hours like a bank holiday or Christmas, i wouldn’t say i am more productive outside of work with those extra 2 hours. Id much rather have a whole extra day

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Conscious_Guess9637@reddit

If you’re the sort of person like me with 100 hobbies and not enough time to do them all then, no, it’s not only beneficial for people with kids.

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Affectionate_Ad6864@reddit

I don’t have kids and I genuinely couldn’t go back to working a mon-Fri. It’s so handy and so nice to split the week up. I don’t notice the longer day now either I’m lucky I do 7-5 so I still get a decent amount of evening after my longer days, particularly in the summer but it does mean getting up early obviously. And my husband cooks dinner so I don’t have to worry about that.

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Wonderful-Cow-9664@reddit

I do it, and my kid is grown. I bloody love it! I’m so busy at work that I don’t even notice the longer days. Sometimes h get bit jealous of people logging off a couple of hours earlier than me, but then I have a whole extra day off and it makes it totally worthwhile. If they’d let me condense my days into 3, I’d be sorely tempted

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Yes I get jealous when ppl leave even an hour earlier lol. Maybe I'm not busy enough..

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ClyroFoxfire@reddit

I think that might be part of it. If you're bored at your job then an extra 2 hours of being there would make the day feel really long. When I was your age (15 years ago) working in retail, 9-6 was a standard full day shift. Albeit with an hour lunch break. I never even questioned it. But if I was twiddling my thumbs I definitely would have hated it. You have to also factor in commuting times. Depending on distance, where you're travelling through, and what kind of transport. For some people working an extra 2 hours is only 1 hour later getting home because it avoids the worst traffic or means a better train time. And having a whole extra day off (especially a Friday, a lot of places would insist it not be a Friday!) means you can plan other activities outside of work. Like appointments (doctor, dentist, hair dresser, nail salon, workmen coming), shopping at quieter times, garden work done. All leaving the weekend free to do things with other people who work Mon-Fri. Honestly, condensed hours can be more inconvenient to a lot of parents due to school times etc. It's really just down to the individuals circumstances.

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ambergriswoldo@reddit

Years ago I ended up condensing hours to 3 days in a row of 8am to 7pm (call centre work) it was killer but then having 4 days off was perfect. I was starting my own online business at the time and 4 days off meant I could do that, see friends, go out and do the usual boring household chores without trying to squeeze it all into 2 days

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acceberbex@reddit

I love my condensed hours. For me, it's only an extra hour a day (half hour earlier start, half hour lunch break) but it means I get an afternoon off a week (finish at 11.30) so I have a good chunk of day for me. I take my dogs out for a long walk. It's also a day for haircuts, dentist etc so I don't have to take time out of work. I can meet family for lunch. Ok it doesn't extend my weekend but I'd not want to go back to 9-5, hour lunch break but working 5 full days

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I am guessing it's not the Friday you finish early but a different weekday?

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acceberbex@reddit

Yep, we each have a different day in the team as everyone wanted condensed hours (up until some wanted whole days and cut their hours). It's great!

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Gloomy_Custard_3914@reddit

Everyone is different. Those hours would be fine for me tbh.

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ChelseaMourning@reddit

Honestly I’m usually logged in by 8 and answering emails after 6 anyway, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for me. It would just be a pain on my office days as I’d have to get the train an hour earlier and an hour later coming home.

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yellowsubmarine45@reddit

I like having a Friday for all of the "life maintainance" stuff so I can have fun or relax on the weekends. But that works for me because I really never feel like doing much in the evenings after work anyway. So it really gives me a full extra day.

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Cheebifur@reddit

Even without any external factors, like kids, family, hobbies etc, there are people who function better when they focus longer, and people who function better if they shift their focus more often. I personally think that's the same as with night owls and morning people - it's an equal situation where two parties will never be at their best at once.

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Psychological_Bee_93@reddit

Pre-baby I worked compressed hours, 8-5:30pm with Wednesdays off. I loved it, I got a weekday off when I could do all the boring household stuff but also relax a little whilst my husband was at work and still have the whole weekend just for fun. I didn’t find the days particularly long, I used to work 12 hour hospitality shifts so doing that length of shift especially from home felt fine. Also, I work in a very email and meeting heavy job, so having an hour before and half an hour after our business hours of 9-5 was so handy for getting stuff done without interruptions. Felt way more productive over the week as a whole.

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Perfectly_Other@reddit

Having worked condensed hours, half day Fridays and 9 day fortnights My Preferences in order 1) 9 day fortnight, I get an extra day to do whatever i want every other week but still have time/energy to do hobbies/social stuff on week nights 2) Condensed hours I lose my evening on work days but the extra day of each week makes up fit it 3) half day Fridays I have time/ energy in the evening on work days but having to work half days Friday puts a lot not restrictions on what i can do with the day. For those who arent aware, a nine day fortnight means that rather than working a half day friday every week, you work a full day friday every other week and have friday off every other week.

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damapplespider@reddit

I don‘t have kids but did have condensed hours. Mine were set up slightly different but effectively worked out as a 4.5 day week with every other Friday off and leaving at 2 on the other Friday. In reality, I didn’t spend that much longer at the office than I had been on weekdays. And it felt like a bank holiday every other weekend. You have a weekday to do admin type stuff with places open, go to stores when they are quieter and, if going on hols, get a non-weekend flight. It was fantastic.

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ruairidhmacdhaibhidh@reddit

I would have a wednesday off, not a friday. Work two days, off two days.

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jack_watson97@reddit

I do condensed hours because I have kids. For a couple of years it was nice. I am now counting down until my youngest is in school and i can do 9-5 mon-fri If your work would let you id say doing the condensed hours every other week would probably be the perfect mix

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MightyDevOps@reddit

I work 9-5:30 anyway , I would take 3 days off

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Would you work 8am-6pm for a 3 day weekend?

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MightyDevOps@reddit

Yup definitely

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

That's true, I haven't thought of it like that. I think I'd struggle with the long office days in winter tho when it gets dark at like 4pm.. I found it difficult this year but it is my first year in the working world

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MightyDevOps@reddit

Oh yes winter kills mee too because by the time you finish its dark as hell , I just make my house super cozy with cinnamom candles etc , but if you do 9-5 you finish in the dark anyway , I would still take the trade off tbh

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

that's true, it'd be dark anyway. In the winter evenings, I didn't rlly want to get up to much anyway - just have dinner then bed

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dragonheat@reddit

a friend of mine does this, every Thursday he books a weekend away, leaves work at 6pm on a friday, on a plane by 10ish. he loves the shifts

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Aidenk77@reddit

My work does 0715 - 1645 Monday to Thursday, everyone really gets on with it well, plus every weekend is three days long.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

That's an early start! What kind of work is it?

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Aidenk77@reddit

Marine engineering - 8am is the usual start time in that industry but our company added a bit of time to the end of the usual finish time and a bit of an earlier start so we fill the 8.75hrs a day (with 0.75hr for lunch and tea break), so 35hrs a week.

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melanie110@reddit

If that was me and that was an option, I’d be in bed by 9pm Thursday so I’m up and fresh for Friday and make the most of the day since everyone I know would be working the next day. Might belong hours but I’d definitely sacrifice some evening time to get a Friday off

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Immediate-Escalator@reddit

I think it depends on what your job is. I’m predominantly office based so working a longer day through the week to get Fridays back is very attractive to me irrespective of childcare obligations. If you’re doing heavy physical work I could see the longer days being a problem though

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I'm an office worker! 2 day weekend finishes superrr quickly!!

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moreidlethanwild@reddit

I had former colleagues do the 4 day week. From their perspective it’s easy to work an extra hour or two each day, and if you commute you’re already spending time getting to work. It was very worthwhile to them to have Friday off each week. With respect, if you’re early 20s and feel like you need a day to recover after working 4 long days you might need to look at your health? Sure you can be a bit tired and sleep on Friday but you should not need a day to recover.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

lol I haven't tried it but I'm just considering it. I get tired quite easily and I'm generally a lazy person. I've been to GP's countless of times - they keep saying there's nothing wrong with me and it makes it look like I'm lying. Now I just suffer in silence

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Fine_Analyst_4408@reddit

I used to feel like this about myself and then as I got more disabled, I realised I had had a chronic illness my entire life. I really took on others opinions that I was lazy, but I was so confused because any time I had the energy to do something, I would do it and do it well.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I already have a chronic illness hahah

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Fine_Analyst_4408@reddit

Then they're probably related!

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I've brought this up myself but they just dismiss me 🙂‍↕️

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YouSayWotNow@reddit

Nothing to do with kids. I do 8.5 hour days so I can have other days off. I've been here several years now and switched to this modern about half way in. Didn't feel at all long to me, I used to find 7.5 hour days belly short. I had previously worked as a freelancer and contract days were always 8 hours and usually a longer commute too.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Oh I just thought that bc the ppl who do it at my work have young kids. The young childfree ones just do the standard 5 full days

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YouSayWotNow@reddit

Your office is a very very small sample of the human working population! 🤣 At my workplace we not only young adults with kids and young adults without kids but middle aged adults with and without kids and older adults with and without kids and all of them have different lives and needs and preferences!😁😁😁

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Hahahah ik! It's my first full time job I don't have a lot of experience. That's true, it's definitely something I'm considering for better work life balance - lol I am not used to it after nearly a year 😂

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YouSayWotNow@reddit

We spend so much of our waking hours at work don't we, in modern society? I look back at how much energy I had in my 20s compared to now. But I'd rather do an extra hour or hour and a half a day when it means having an extra whole day off in the week :-)

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Yes I'm definitely considering it. Even if it's every fortnight I think it's rlly good

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YouSayWotNow@reddit

That's what I started with. Adding a little time 9 days every fortnight to take one day off a fortnight. 9/10 pattern, basically.

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Asleep-Software-4160@reddit

I don't think those are particularly long days tbh, I'd happily do them for the extra day off.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Maybe it's bc my commute is like 40 mins to an hour in traffic 😭

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Asleep-Software-4160@reddit

Probably a shorter commute at 6pm though!

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Serious_Badger_4145@reddit

It's beneficial for anyone who's got other stuff going on. People use it to study, to spend time with family members who aren't kids, to do their hobbies. Also suits people with long commutes Yeah they're incredibly long days and it's not a particularly nice way of working. In my old office those people seemed to work more to 'make up' for their days off which i always thought was kind of unfair. But if you want days off in the week and can't afford to work part time its the only way

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boudicas_shield@reddit

Yes my husband switched to condensed hours when finishing his part-time PhD, and he loves it and never looked back. He doesn’t mind the longer hours if it means he gets a three-day weekend. No kids. He uses Fridays as housework in the morning and extra relaxation in the afternoon days. The nature of his job makes 10-hour shifts pretty manageable once adjusted to, according to him, and he doesn’t mind them. I think I would struggle with it, personally, but my job requires more specific focus than his and I also get burned out more easily than he does.

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Emergency_Wealth7778@reddit

I do know it makes working out annual leave and BH entitlement a right pain in the back side. I was offered it in an old job but declined, it's not worth it to work longer days and have a Wednesday off.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Wouldn't the annual leave entitlement be the same bc it's the same hours just over a shorter period?

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Emergency_Wealth7778@reddit

I wish it was that simple lol and in all honesty, I actually don't know how it works. The person who does compressed hours has a spreadsheet that works it all out.

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SpudFire@reddit

I wouldn't feel the need to spend a day recovering if I did it. I'd be spending that day doing hobbies and then maybe Sunday can be a bit more relaxing instead. With a 2 day weekend, it sometimes feels like I need to make the most of both Saturday and Sunday. I'd actually be more willing to do it in the winter when the evenings are dark and so less opportunities for doing anything after work. Whereas at this time of year it's light for another 3 hours after work and not freezing cold so can still do stuff.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

In the winter when it gets dark early, I just want to go home 🥲 I also feel like that currently where I feel I need to be rlly productive on my 2 days weekend

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LillyAtts@reddit

I worked a 9-day fortnight for a while and I used to go to the cinema every other Friday.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Yes I think I'm leaning more towards this schedule

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Unusual_Sherbert2671@reddit

I got used to working 8-6 x 5 days. So doing condensed 8-6 x 4 would be great

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Are you doing a desk job or manual?

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Unusual_Sherbert2671@reddit

Desk job

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Asher-D@reddit

How is that schedule beneficial if you have kids? The only time this schedule even works is assuming you don't have dependents or any type of caring responsibilities.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Idk most ppl who do it at my work have young kids

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A_Chicken_Called_Kip@reddit

So you’re saying I can do four longer days and have every Friday off? I would absolutely do that in a heartbeat and I don’t have kids. Instantly makes my weekend 50% longer.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

When you say it like that..

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richard0cs@reddit

Having a weekday off when stuff is actually open is very practical. I can take the car to the garage, go to shops that aren't open evenings or weekends, or are but are much quieter in the week.

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AmayaSmith96@reddit

I have one day off work during the week to spend with my kids. Taking them out to soft plays or even the park during the week is a completely different experience than on the weekend! Everything is quieter.

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Fine_Analyst_4408@reddit

I would happily work three 12 hour shifts in a row to have four days off per week.

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Victorius_Meldrus@reddit

I work from 6:30am to 5pm six days a week.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Desk or manual job?

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Victorius_Meldrus@reddit

Both.

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Doug__Quaid@reddit

Used to do it in a previous role. It was great working Monday to Thursday every week. Long weekends were amazing. I didn't mind the hours either (9 - 7) as I still would get all your breaks and things. Work was only about 20 minutes away too.

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Special-Bank9311@reddit

I feel like with young kids I’d actually really struggle with that as I need to pick them up from nursery. The day free would be great, as obviously then you don’t have to pay for that day at nursery, but the lack of time the other 4 days sounds impossible.

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MrPogoUK@reddit

Yeah. At my place it’s mainly the older people (like late 50s onward) doing the condensed hours over fewer days. The ones with young kids are more likely to drop hours or days entirely.

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Astronaut_Level@reddit

I’ve worked 35 hours wfh over 4 days 8-5.30 and it was tiring, the days feel much more balanced when I can finish earlier in the afternoon and get things done. But some people thrive on it. If I could do it again I’d probably choose Wednesday as my non working day

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I was also thinking of having Tues of Weds as non working day but only bc Thurs and Fri is wfh.

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jabbo13@reddit

I wouldn't do that because I have kids I wouldn't see them in the evenings 4 days a week potentially missing dinner times and bed times etc. Single child free meal woulda loved it

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

I'm single and childfree but I'm thinking that I wouldn't have time to do anything else on the work days bc it's so long, esp in winter I feel like I'd struggle

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itismeeeeeeeee@reddit

However you'd gain a whole day of daylight on a Friday- only 4 days of leaving and coming home in the dark instead of 5!

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Hmm. Friday is the day I'd want it but annoyingly (in this case) it's wfh anyway! I have to go in Mon-Weds and then last two days are wfh. I'm thinking maybe it'd be better to have Mondays off but then there's loads of bank holidays then so no point. So maybe Tues or weds off? Overthinking as usual hahaha

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jabbo13@reddit

It depends what you do in the evenings I guess but for me I would lose a couple hours playstation time on the eve to gain a full days playstation time. Realistically though it would mean I could do all the housework on a Friday meaning I still get me 2 days on the weekend rather than trying to cram it in-between weekend events and evenings where the last thing I want to do is housework after work.

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Impressive-Top7458@reddit

I’m an old fart who has spent 40 years working 5 days a week (or more) and decided last year to downshift and take a job working 30 hours a week over 4 days (and accept the resulting pay cut). My new employer does offer compressed hours, and if I opted for that I could work four days a week and still earn a full salary. But so far I’ve not been tempted. That’s because: 1)I’m already needing to use some of Friday to recover from the 30 hour working week (especially when it’s very busy or I’ve had to go on a business trip that week). 2)Compressed hours wouldn’t solve the big disadvantage of my four day week which is having to rush every Monday morning to catch up with all the news and emails from on Friday. 3) I need to look after my health more than I need the money or promotion prospects. That said, I can clearly see that it would be a great option if you really need or want to keep a weekday free for private stuff but also want to keep your full salary. You just need to have the physical and mental energy to work the long days.

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3a5ty@reddit

My wife did it because yes, we have a child and it means one day less in nursery. But she loves having a 3 day weekend and the extra time over the 4 days doesn't burn her out, she still does lots on Friday and then weekends are family time.

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RegularPie5512@reddit

I'm guessing you're young-ish? I'm my early 40s. I don't really do anything other than work and homelife on work days. Days off are for recovery, catching up on chores and any other activities with the family. Working a couple of extra hours each day Mon-Thu, and having a three day weekend is SO much more benefitial to me. I rest more, get so much more done and do so much more! If my employer would let me do 15 hour days Mon-Wed and 4 days off I'd do it in a heartbeat.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Yeah I'm early 20s. I wouldn't mind a weekday off I'd love it. The people who work condensed hrs at my workplace have young children which is why I thought maybe it only benefits parents

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clrthrn@reddit

I would do these hours with no kids. With kids, it's not worth it as I'd rather spend the time at home when my kid is home. I am super lucky and work 4 days from home so I don't have this problem. I can do everything I have to do at work in the morning so can enjoy my afternoons inc the school pick up.

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continentaldreams@reddit

My husband does these hours with no kids and he loves it. He has a 3 day weekend every week!

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Is it Fridays he has off?

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continentaldreams@reddit

He does indeed

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La-Orange@reddit

I do those about hours anyway, 5 days a week (paid overtime by choice). If I could do 4 days a week, I would definitely take it. Recovering from what? Is it a desk job? Goodness, you're too young to be talking about recovering!

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Hahahaha yeah it's a desk job. I'm so lazy 😂

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nikkijxd@reddit

I would love to work 4 days a week, my commute is 30 mins each way so at least 1 hour of my day is the commute. Throw in that I'm doing 37.5 hours a week and have an hour's unpaid lunch. That's 47.5 hours a week I'm spending on work. If I was 4 days a week with condensed hours that would be 45.5 (without reducing lunch breaks), I appreciate if I was WFH that would be easier still. I would happily have a shorter lunch to leave earlier but it's not allowed (regularly, we can do from time to time).

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CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit

My partner works those hours anyway, so although it's a long day to you (valid opinion) it isn't long for everyone. So it getting an extra day for a work day my partner is used to would probably be interesting anyway.

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BrexitVoter@reddit

So part of it I think is your age; I'm early 30s and it benefits me now more than it did when I was 20s. I've just had a baby, but, here's my view on it + summat for you to consider - 1. Work from home? Less of a difference. Working from the office? Well you're saving yourself 2 commutes a week by having a day off. You're only getting out of bed once. And, you've already got the momentum. Working 9 hours Saturday feels easier than working 7 hours Saturday and 2 hours Sunday, for example. Less commute 2. Gives you a day to do a hobby or just chill. Feels like you're cheating the system when you wake up Friday morning and either go back to bed, or go fishing or something. Your workplace sounds pretty sweet and they are trying to make work/life balance better. An example is your choice of start time; clearly to help people avoid rush hour traffic at both ends of the day, or have a lie in. 3. What's your manager like in terms of how flexible this is? For example, do you just have flexi-sheets where it sums up your hours for you, or do you have to tell them in advance? - what I'm getting at, could you try it for a week and see if you like it? There's tonnes of benefits to it realistically. I mean, you get the Friday feeling on Thursday, you feel like you cheated the system on the Friday, and Sunday is less bad knowing you're not staring down the barrel of having to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier for 5 nights

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BrexitVoter@reddit

Oh btw, lil tip for you - don't take the piss with it, and get yourself to a position where your boss really trusts you. Biggest tip about office work noone ever tells you. Get the trust where your boss doesn't care about where you are at any given second. If I wanted to go home ati Ch now, my boss would say "what are you you telling me for? You manage your own diary"

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ReallyIntriguing@reddit

I tried this but couldn't manage the long hours, some people do condensed hours but "manage" their workload.......

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Real-Apricot-7889@reddit

No I don’t think it’s just good for people with kids. Lots of people work 8-6 mon to Fri anyway. But I personally know I am less productive doing long days long term. It works for some people though. My Mum actually did it for a few years before she retired. At my work we also have 35h weeks and it’s quite common for people to do half days on Fridays or every other Friday off. Then your days aren’t quite as long. I prefer having more flexibility to do longer/shorter days as needed than committing to compressed hours all the time. But it depends on how flexible your work is.

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poor_mans_Mayer@reddit

I do it and I'm in my late 20s with no kids. I use my non working day to do all the chores so I actually have a full weekend where me and my other half can enjoy without thinking about cleaning/weekly shop/cleaning cars etc

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Single-Aardvark9330@reddit

Some people at my place have, I know one person does it so they can go to the gym in the middle of the day when it's not too busy As we work from home 4 days a week and finish work at 4 I've decided I'd rather work 5 days and have 4-5pm to go places (especially in the colder months when it gets darker earlier) than a whole day free

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Sure-Recognition-262@reddit

The difference between 7 hours (so 8 hours by the time you add a lunch break, more if you have to add commute time) and 8.75 hours (so 9.75, more if commuting) has far less impact on my life than having a day off has. >I feel like you'd just spend the Friday recovering anyway. This will depend on the job. But you mention you do some working from home, so presumably it isn't a physically hard manual job. Out of interest, is it all-or-nothing for this, or are there other options? For example: * I do a 9 day fortnight so it's halfway between the two * I know a few people who put their non-working day on the Wednesday to break up the week - they love never having to work more than 2 days in a row, and if you're worried about tiredness that would almost certainly offset it

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Yes I forgot to mention I'm an office worker Yes there are these options available. Now I'm thinking the 9 day thing sounds better for me. Another person at work does an extra half hour each day then has every weds afternoon off

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Medical-Fox2471@reddit

I used to work long shifts then went to Monday-Friday 9-5/8-4 I have now gone down from 37.5 hours to 34 I work Monday, Tuesday, Tuesday and Friday 8-5 it’s perfect

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Slothjitzu@reddit

A few 10 hour shifts isn’t something you really need to spend a day recovering from unless your job is incredibly physically demanding. For many people, they do those same hours without the additional day off. As for who it benefits, most people really. I used to do longer hours with a Friday off and it basically became the morning I did all chores and admin, and the afternoon that I spent gaming. So when my weekend actually began, I had no tasks that needed doing and didn’t feel like I needed time to myself.

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Fellsy8@reddit

I work 37 hours a week condensed over 4 days and I love it. I work Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, which means I never work more than 2 days on the trot without a day off. I also enjoy having days off in the week as it's handy for appointments and days out anywhere are less busy.

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Kind-County9767@reddit

Do 10 in 9 and it's much easier.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

A three day weekend is well worth the extra hours - kids or no kids. You can do all your boring life admin on Friday and then have 2 clear days to do fun things.

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2c0@reddit

I work 6-4 now. It's fine. I also work 6-1 most Fridays. 5 full days is awful. I'd rather do 4 12's than all 5 days.

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Binners297@reddit

My shifts used to usually be like 12:30-22:30, or 6-4/7-5 and you just get used to it, I never found I needed an extra day to recover

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NLFG@reddit

I mean, it depends on your role, but as an office worker, I'd absolutely kill to work a day less. Slightly different if you're in a role where you're on your feet all day, of course.

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Obvious_Armadillo_16@reddit (OP)

Oops I forgot to mention I'm an office worker

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JoeDaStudd@reddit

You don't have to take the whole Friday off.\ You can work an extra hour Monday to Wednesday then half an hour on Thursday and do a half day finish. It's great on its own, but it also allows you to have a full day off work for only half a day annual leave.\ Couple it with bank holidays and you can have a 4 day weekend for only half a day's annual leave.

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sossighead@reddit

Not at all - I can imagine lots of people could benefit from that. Maybe you’re studying part time and that full day to sit down and get into it would be a godsend. Just an example off the top of my head.

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General_Opening_7739@reddit

It comes down to personal preference. Some value the extra day off more, while others prefer shorter, more balanced daily schedules.

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PetersMapProject@reddit

It does cut out commuting time one day a week - how beneficial this is depends on how much of a ballache you find your commute.

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Antique_Location_514@reddit

i think it totally depends on your lifestyle and your needs.. i find condensed hours works great for me but as you say it is long days and there’s people i know who really didn’t like it!

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