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Original poster

Working 4 days a week...Mon or weds off?

96 replies

Decafflatteplease · 04/03/2024 11:44

Hypothetically...if you worked a 4 day week and could have either a Monday or a weds off which one would you choose and why? I'm trying to decide for a potential job if I want Mon or weds off?

Mon off would be good as then all my working days of Tues weds Thur Fri are in a row. I like going to the gym on a Monday morning to get it done ✅. Cons of Mon are the house is usually already tidy from the weekend and washing caught up on so not much to do

Weds would be good as it's the middle of the week, a break from work. I could "reset" the house on weds as by then there's usually washing piling up, I can start organising things for the weekend etc. but then I'd miss my Monday gym class .

What would you do and why? First world problem I know!

OP posts:

Merrow · 04/03/2024 11:48

Do you have children? I found when I had Monday off it was a very practical day because I let lots of things I'd normally do on the weekend slide. Wednesday felt more of a day off with DC. Also the way my work is it was helpful to send a lot of things off on Tuesday knowing I'd likely have a response when back on my desk on Thursday.

Chocolateorange11 · 04/03/2024 11:51

I would double check what happens to bank holidays… I get my annual leave plus bank holidays so I would get all the Monday bank holidays added on.

my day day off is Friday. I don’t get full bank holiday entitlement so have to use annual leave to cover some. I’d you have Wednesday off you may have to do this too.

zzplea · 04/03/2024 11:51

I've thought about this too. I think if you don't work on Mondays then you turn up on Tuesdays and everyone else is already in mid-week mode, whereas you're still in first-day-of-the-week mode. I once had a Wed-Fri job and I would breeze in on Wednesday and other people would be looking mid-week harassed. But as I only worked 3 days I was quite relaxed.

On the odd occasion I've had a Wednesday off, it's been nice to break the week into two smaller weeks. But not sure how I'd feel about that permanently, compared with a 3-day weekend.

Do you work closely with other people? Would they more easily forget that you don't work on Wednesdays and need to accommodate that when arranging meetings etc?

Purplepinkfairy · 04/03/2024 11:52

I would prefer Wednesday. As when a bank holiday falls you probably have it off anyway..... it would be nice having the day off midweek to catch up on housework shopping so it's not all left to the weekend.

Original poster

Decafflatteplease · 04/03/2024 11:55

Merrow · 04/03/2024 11:48

@Merrow all my children are at school and I'm currently a SAHM but looking at getting back to work

OP posts:

Merrow · 04/03/2024 12:07

Would knowing you have Monday off and can do things then free up any time in the weekend for time you're not currently spending with DC? Would the DC be in wrap around care apart from the day you had off? I went part time to spend time with DC, so that's been my priority in working out when to take it. But my DC are young. If they were older and more independent I'd be more selfish, and look at any classes I wanted to take, or if I had friends that were also free those days.

I think from a bank holiday perspective there's a benefit to having Monday off in that it gives you more freedom with the leave you have, but I can't remember exactly.

Mollifi · 04/03/2024 12:12

I would prefer Weds as you get a "mini-Friday" on Tuesdays. Working Mondays would be more "eating the frog" than going to the gym would be, for me.

Having Mondays off would mean you'd get more flexibility in your leave though - no more holiday, but you'd get more of your bank hols in lieu rather than having to take them on the day.

idontlikealdi · 04/03/2024 12:13

Monday. Wednesday gives you Sunday night issues twice.

Teaandsympathy · 04/03/2024 12:16

I've had both of and its swings and roundabouts. If I were you I’d have the Monday off. Keep your gym class; it’s important to have something for yourself if you’re going back to work x

MaybeWeShouldGoToEastbourne · 04/03/2024 12:16

I have Wednesday off every week. No kids.

I absolutely love it, best thing I ever did was dropping Wednesdays. Work is quite stressful and having a break mid week makes it much easier. I’ve always either just had a day off - or got one coming up 🙂

Littlegoth · 04/03/2024 12:16

I work in HR, working out annual leave allowances. Monday has the biggest impact on your annual leave due to number of bank holidays that fall on a Monday. The impact will depend on whether you are compressing your hours or going part time. Ask HR for an annual leave projection based on both options, for the rest of this year and also for the next full year so you can weigh it up.

FWIW I work compressed over 4 days. I used to have Wednesdays off and I changed it. Having a day off midweek meant that I was constantly handing work over part way through and picking it back up after someone else had potentially had involvement, it made the week feel really disjointed and created stress. It definitely didn’t feel like a nice short weekend in the middle of the week. Mondays or Fridays are best imo. Another bonus is you can have a long weekend away without dipping into your annual leave.

unicornsarereal72 · 04/03/2024 12:17

I have Wednesday off this breaks up the week and it's not far from a day off I use it to do shopping. House work and appointments. Frees up the weekend to do things with the children. It has worked well for me.

ChickenChipsandBeans · 04/03/2024 12:18

Monday 100%. I used to think the same, that after the weekend I wasn't in need of a day off as much, but once I started having a Monday off I realised how much I enjoyed it. That horrible Monday back to work feeling isn't there, and I find it's a day more for myself rather than a full day of housework.

FrenchFairytale · 04/03/2024 12:18

I have a Monday and I love it! Drop dc at school, go to aldi, clean from the weekend, cook a few decents meals and go the gym. It's fabulous.

Mossstitch · 04/03/2024 12:18

I used to take Mondays off as it made me enjoy Sunday more, you didn't get that gloomy feeling of doom Sunday night and gave you chance to catch up with chores when children at school so can spend more time with them at weekend.
In the NHS bank holidays are worked out fairly since Agenda for Change so if you work 80% of full time hours (which would be four days) then you get 80% of bank holidays added to your annual leave entitlement. But you would need to check that dependent on the organisation you are working for otherwise you can end up losing out if you take Mondays off as most bank holidays fall on a Monday.

Rainbowshit · 04/03/2024 12:21

Monday definitely. Works out so much better with the bank holidays.

angelopal · 04/03/2024 12:22

I have a Monday off. Better from a work perspective to do 4 days in a row. Plus like having a long weekend.

Don't close for bank holidays other than Christmas so not affected by that. On the occasion there has been an additional one I get it added to my annual leave.

Can catch up on washing etc so don't have to spend much time at the weekends doing it.

SecondUsername4me · 04/03/2024 12:22

Monday off for Bank Holiday reasons.

As someone who workd 0.8 you will get 80% of the bank holiday allowance. So 6.4 days.

If you work Mondays, and your workplace closes every BH (and isn't open weekends etc), then you will have to cover all 8 somehow. 6.4 of them from your allowance, and the other 1.6 from your annual leave allowance.

If you don't work Mondays, then the 6.4 will firstly go to cover good Friday, and the Christmas days (if not a monday), leaving you at least 3.4 days to add onto your annual leave allowance to use whenever you like.

For me, if your workplace is Mon-Fri, and closes BHs and weekends, it's never beneficial to work Mondays when part time.

aquarimum · 04/03/2024 12:24

We do a lot of important stuff on Wednesdays, as that's a day when many people are in the office. Mondays are easier to not be at work for, as fewer big meetings to miss. Your workplace may vary.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 04/03/2024 12:28

What are your reasons for moving to a 4 day week? Does that have a bearing on it? Study, work life balance, personal goal?

My kids school schedules all their games fixtures for Wednesday. So if I had that day off I could go along and support every once in a while. But I'd spend my day "off" [and 20% paycut] running around like a blue arsed fly "resetting the house".

Subject to the annual leave point I'd probably take Monday as in my line of work all kinds of crap comes out of the woodwork on a Friday with people throwing stuff over the fence before going on leave. It would just give people an opportunity to dump and run.
I'd pack the kids off to school and have the day to myself.

scorpiogirly · 04/03/2024 12:28

Monday definitely.

PuppyMonkey · 04/03/2024 12:31

I loved my Mondays off when I was part time. Got about a week extra added to my annual
leave because they gave me the pro rata bank holidays.

I don’t think I would have enjoyed Wednesday off tbh. I would be stressing about all the things I was in the middle of doing when I left on Tuesday and would have to be catching up on first thing Thursday. Slowing things down and making them drag on etc, can’t be doing with that - I prefer to tick stuff off my list and move on.

Sophie3003 · 04/03/2024 12:33

I work 4 days and have Wednesday off. I really like having two short weeks for both me and my daughter.

Moreteaandchocolate · 04/03/2024 12:34

I’ve done both. When my kids were little I preferred Weds off as I could catch up on housework that builds up and also spend some proper time with the kids after school mid week (I found 4 days in a row a long time without any proper quality time with the kids when they were small). Now they are older (year 5/7) I prefer having my non working days all in a row as I can switch more easily between work mode and home mode that way. It also gives more wind down time from my job.

Mumof1andacat · 04/03/2024 12:34

I have found Wednesday better as salons are open so I can get a hair cut. It breaks up the week of work and its useful in the school holidays as if my son needs holiday club it breaks up the days he needs to go in a row.

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