Which non working days?

unityfire · 2025-06-01T12:21:33+00:00

I have two choices of working pattern: Mon-Wed (Thursday and Friday as NWD) Tues, Weds & Fri (Monday and Thursday as NWD) I am really torn. We aren’t using paid childcare so that isn’t a factor in the choice. Option 1 means days off and working days are nicely together. However, would option 2 be easier as I would never be working more than 2 days in a row? I have heard Mondays are best to take as NWD because then you wouldn’t have to use annual leave to book bank holidays, but trying to understand that makes my brain hurt a bit! Friday is also usually a more relaxed and fun day with more people in the office, so it feels almost a shame to be off. Help me choose please!

assertiveplant · 01/06/2025 13:26

If you're working Mondays on a 60% contract then you'll get more bank holiday days off than you're entitled to as most fall on a Monday. Which means the excess will be deducted from your annual leave. You'll lose about 3 days of annual leave each year.

It would be better to choose a pattern where you aren't due to work Mondays because then your bank holiday entitlement will be added to your annual leave instead.

Option 2 means you won't have big chunks of time off and it will be easier to stay in the loop. If you have a 4-day weekend every week you'll be playing catch-up every Monday.

ExtensiveDebating · 01/06/2025 13:29

Mon-Wed far better, despite the bank holiday thing, I used to have two non-consecutive days off and never felt as though I was properly caught up, there were two mornings a week catching up with emails etc instead of one and you felt you were on the back foot all week when everyone else had got their week started on Monday. It’s all nice to hear about everyone else’s weekend but that’s a minor thing, it’s the being behind that is the worst.

MaybeItsTimeForMeNow · 01/06/2025 13:31

I have Mon and Fri off so similar really as it leaves a 4 day stretch..I wouldn't change it for reasons pp mention, you catch up once a week and have a better down time period.

MagpiePi · 01/06/2025 13:40

I changed from Mon - Weds to Tues-Thurs and would never go back to working on Mondays.

Apart from the extra annual leave, it is so nice to not have that awful ‘oh gawd, it’s work tomorrow’ feeling on Sundays.

I wouldn’t like to have a Thursday off and then go in on Friday, but as you say, things are usually a bit more relaxed then.

NautilusLionfish · 01/06/2025 13:44

I would go for Thurs and Friday as non working days and have 4 days break. And if there is a bank Holiday Monday 5 days. That would be bliss

ExtensiveDebating · 01/06/2025 13:54

MagpiePi · 01/06/2025 13:40

I changed from Mon - Weds to Tues-Thurs and would never go back to working on Mondays.

Apart from the extra annual leave, it is so nice to not have that awful ‘oh gawd, it’s work tomorrow’ feeling on Sundays.

I wouldn’t like to have a Thursday off and then go in on Friday, but as you say, things are usually a bit more relaxed then.

I really like my job so don't get they Sunday evening thing but I did previously work Tue-Thur and that was second best (my first p/t job was Tue/Thur/Fri and that really was rubbish apart from the bank holidays). It's the disjointedness of the home days as well as the work days that I didn't like, never felt like such a good break.

ExtensiveDebating · 01/06/2025 13:56

Tue-Thur was second best because you were still behind your Monday-working colleagues (even full timers are catching up a bit on Mondays as emails come in overnight and weekends) and you don't get the quieter Fridays thing either.

LetGoLetThem1234 · 01/06/2025 13:57

It really depends on what you want the time off for. If it's for you - so going to gym, meeting up with friends, then I would say Monday and Thursday. With the Thursday as your day. Plus a 3 day weekend. Using Friday PM to prep for Monday...

ExtensiveDebating · 01/06/2025 14:01

Ah, mine is for me (DCs are grown up) but I much prefer having Fridays off as quite a few of my friends do too so it is a sociable day. They all work Mon-Wed or Mon-Thur.

Original poster

unityfire · 01/06/2025 14:10

LetGoLetThem1234 · 01/06/2025 13:57

It really depends on what you want the time off for. If it's for you - so going to gym, meeting up with friends, then I would say Monday and Thursday. With the Thursday as your day. Plus a 3 day weekend. Using Friday PM to prep for Monday...

Edited

I’ll be with DD.

OP posts:

Aimtodobetter · 01/06/2025 14:13

unityfire · 01/06/2025 14:10

I’ll be with DD.

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Then I think it’s nicer for her to have the consistency of 4 days in a row with you. I notice with my toddler he can be a bit more emotional on the first day with me and then settles in more for Sunday.

Justkeepingplatesspinning · 01/06/2025 14:19

Monday off when everyone else is heading to work feels more like a treat than having Friday off.
That said, having Thursday off and then needing to head to work on Friday would be tiresome.
In an ideal world could you negotiate working days of Tues Wed Thurs?
I would go for working days in a row, then days off so you can do more with them if you want to.

Springtime43 · 01/06/2025 14:31

I would prefer working days to be earlier in the week

Eldermileniummam · 01/06/2025 14:35

It depends on the job and whether it's the kind of job where you have a workload you have to fit in each week or whether you just do tasks while you're there. I do the former sort of job and would find tue, Weds, Fri beneficial as I wouldn't be away more than one day in a row so if a client needed me or I was needed for something i would only be away one day at a time whereas Wednesday to Monday feels like a long time.

Original poster

unityfire · 01/06/2025 15:52

Aimtodobetter · 01/06/2025 14:13

Then I think it’s nicer for her to have the consistency of 4 days in a row with you. I notice with my toddler he can be a bit more emotional on the first day with me and then settles in more for Sunday.

Edited

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Thank you for this!

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VioletIndigoBlueGreen · 01/06/2025 15:53

I used to have Mondays and Thursdays off and it was my absolute favourite working pattern. I was in the office regularly enough to maintain a senior role, but never had more than two days at work in a row. Also Friday is a great day for catching up with stuff because it’s often quieter.

It also meant that DS settled well at nursery because he was in and out across the week rather than a big block of time at home each week.

Original poster

unityfire · 01/06/2025 16:29

VioletIndigoBlueGreen · 01/06/2025 15:53

I used to have Mondays and Thursdays off and it was my absolute favourite working pattern. I was in the office regularly enough to maintain a senior role, but never had more than two days at work in a row. Also Friday is a great day for catching up with stuff because it’s often quieter.

It also meant that DS settled well at nursery because he was in and out across the week rather than a big block of time at home each week.

Thank you! Hadn’t considered this perspective

OP posts:

Original poster

unityfire · 02/06/2025 07:36

Eldermileniummam · 01/06/2025 14:35

It depends on the job and whether it's the kind of job where you have a workload you have to fit in each week or whether you just do tasks while you're there. I do the former sort of job and would find tue, Weds, Fri beneficial as I wouldn't be away more than one day in a row so if a client needed me or I was needed for something i would only be away one day at a time whereas Wednesday to Monday feels like a long time.

I also have the former and 5 days is a lot, but I’m not sure if it’s better for my DC that way

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MuggleMe · 02/06/2025 07:55

I've worked both a split week and a short week and preferred the short week. I felt I didn't switch off over the day off as I was thinking about the day before and the day to come whereas there was a proper handover if necessary and nothing could be done til Monday so it felt like a long weekend more on the short week.