Working a Monday or Friday- which is best?

[KingCatMeowInSpace]

Following on from a similar thread, I'm upping my days at work from 3 days to 4 days. I currently work a Tues, Wed and Thurs. Is there any benefits I should think about in making my extra day a Monday or a Friday or makes no difference which day?

Monday is by far the best day to take off, as you get the bank holiday hours but don’t have to use them on bank holiday Mondays.

Do you get bank holidays off in your job? If so then go with Mondays so you'll get the bank holidays.

I tried both and personally I much prefer working Friday and having Monday off. It gives me time alone after the weekend doing family stuff (if that makes me sound like an old curmudgeon it's because I am) and also avoids the slightly depressing "it's Monday" air in the office. I just find it psychologically easier!?

I think you need to check with your employer how your annual leave works as a part timer. I have to book bank holidays off out of my holiday allowance if they fall on my working days (I get a bit of extra allowance for this). I currently work the same days as you so as most bank holidays fall on a Monday/Friday I barely have to use any leave on bank holidays at the moment. Would it be the same for you?

Ah yes, agree with the bank holiday thing. You get to take them at your leisure rather than on the prescribed bank holiday Mondays.

I'd work the Friday. Would give me a little bit of peace on the Monday after a busy family weekend as pp stated.

Bank holidays are generally prorated so you just end up having to use the allowance against more Mondays than Fridays

Most office jobs are busier Mondays. I prefer Friday off so there are not so many emails to come back to and I don’t miss meetings etc

Also depends on what everyone else does. Often loads of people don’t work a Friday already/people want to take it as leave so if you’re happy to work Friday it might make everyone else happier which puts you in a good position.

Definitely work on Fridays. Fun things happen in offices on Fridays (this assumes you don’t WFH).

Depends whatc you plan to do with the day off... Hairdressers, beauty place, fishmonger and butchers plus library are all shut near me Monday so I'd be better with Friday off.

I don’t think it matters what organisation you work for. As I understand it, you cannot discriminate against part time workers by not giving them bank holiday time off. Happy to be corrected if I am wrong.

I prefer Mondays off as my kids tend to have inset days on Mondays and so I don't have to use my leave to cover them.

Yes to checking how your employer deals with bank holidays. Most give you extra days for bank hols, and you have to take a day's leave if a bank hol falls on your work day. There are 8 per year. 1 will always be a Friday, 4 will always be Mondays and 3 vary. If you dont work Mondays, and your employer does it as described above, you'll have 3 extra days each year to take as you want, compared to working Mondays.

Thanks all- re getting holidays from work,my annual leave and public holiday entitlement get added together for me to take when I want if that makes a difference. I think you're all right re taking the Monday as my day off so I don't have the dreaded Sunday night feeling - plan on doing house tidying/shopping/washing etc on day off - any hairdresser apts will just have to happen on Saturday mornings I guess as not open on Monday's when I'll be off.

Working a Friday. The bank holiday thing that PPs have mentioned, everyone has that Friday feeling at work so the atmosphere is much more fun and best of all, no Sunday night dread feeling.

Barbaranna it is not discriminating against a pt employee by giving them a pro-rata'ed bank holiday entitlement and requiring it to be booked off.

You couldn't discriminate against a pt worker by saying they get 5 days less holidays, for example, but it is fine to pro-rata against hours.

I work Mon-Thursday, and have the Fridays off.

It’s great - I drop the kids off at school, every other week get my nails done, do a big food shop so we have loads of lovely nice food (and gin) get a massive load of cleaning done so the house is clean for the weekend.

I used to work Tuesday - Friday and I always found I had the Sunday evening feeling on a Monday and it spoilt my day off.

I have done both and working the Friday is better for me. I actually end up with more A/L hours somehow.
Also, Sunday feels a bit like Saturday and I know I have Monday all to myself!

Totally agreed it it pro-ratared. But you still get the hours to take off, and if you don’t work a Monday, you can use them against another day. My dream scenario is a Monday off.

I work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. When I've changed and worked a Friday instead of a Monday I've not liked it! I really like having the Friday so that I can get things tidied and clean for the weekend!!

Thanks everyone- majority of you say to take the Monday off and I think I'm liking the sound of that best - I get the idea of tidying the house on a Friday for the weekend and getting the shopping in but reckon the idea of NOT having the Sunday night dreaded feeling wins - thanks all x

What people mean about the Bank Holidays is:
If you work 4 days (0.8 of full time) then you get 0.8 of the hours for each BH added on to your annual leave, so, you get 6 HOURS of holiday time for every Bank Holiday.
If the BH falls on your working day, you will have 7.5 hours taken off you as leave, so, in fact, you have to 'give them' 1.5 hours of your leave for each of the working days that fall on a BH. If it falls on a day you don't work, then you get 6 hours 'added on' to your annual leave.
4 BHs are always on a Monday (except in 2020 which is there to confuse)
1 is always on a Friday
3 move days each year.
So - if your company works this (usual) system, then you are better to have Mondays as your day off.

Other advantages are you don't get that 'Sunday night' feeling.
I find I get FAR more household stuff done on a Monday - I think by Friday, I go into 'weekend mode' but on Mondays I'm raring to go and crack on with things. Places tend to be quieter - easier to get appts etc. In some places it is quite nice to work on a Friday, as it can sometimes be a more 'relaxed' day at work - particularly in terms of team socialising etc.

OTOH, if you have school age dc, overwhelmingly, schools have more of their "things we'd like parents to attend" on a Friday (special assemblies etc). If you want to meet up with friends more people 'don't work' on Fridays than any other day. If you want to go away at weekends, you can get away early, or at least get everything ready. Things like coffee mornings tend to happen on Fridays.

Thanks 'Backforgood'- the bank holiday thing sounds good reason for taking Mondays off. Like you say, good reasons for Friday off too (currently off mon and Fri) but guess I can't have it all x

My pro-rata'd bank hols were simpler than than, although the net effect was the same. A 3 day week meant i got 5 days added to my leave (3/5 of 8 days, rounded up).

If i worked Monday - Wednesday and say Christmas Day & NYs Day were a Tuesday, Boxing Day was a Wednesday, i would need 7 days' leave to cover BHs. So although i had 5 "extra" days added to my annual leave, i actually had to use those 5 plus 2 of my normal annual leave to cover those days.

If i worked say Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, I'd need 4 days to cover the BH. As i got 5 extra, i actually gained 1 day that i could use as i liked.

Those extra 3 days i saved by not working Mondays equated to a working week for me - really valuable when you're tryung to cover 12+ weeks of school hols.

I would choose to work Friday purely because of the Sunday night dread feeling I get and the Friday it's the weekend feeling meaning the day will go more quickly and be more satisfying when you have finished.