Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Going down to 4 days - which day off works best?

232 replies

Nesski · 10/04/2021 08:40

I'm about to start mat leave and want to go down to 4 days a week when I go back, however, I'm not sure which day would work best. There will be a trial period to see if it would work for my company, but I'd like some insights. Friday for example is a bad day because it's delivery day (I work for a consulting firm), Wednesday's could work well because I'd start the week off with the team and be able to leave them to get on with it on Wednesday and then pick it up again until the end of the week. Monday because bank holiday usually falls on this day (these days a pro-rated).

OP posts:
TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 10/04/2021 13:52

@dementedpixie

www.personneltoday.com/hr/bank-holidays-five-things-employers-need-to-know/#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20statutory%20right,a%20half%E2%80%9D%20or%20double%20pay.

4. A part-time worker has the right not to be treated less favourably than a comparable full-time worker. This includes entitlement to bank holidays.

The best practice – and safest – approach to part-time employees is to give them a pro-rated allowance of paid bank holidays, irrespective of whether or not they normally work on the days on which bank holidays fall.

dementedpixie · 10/04/2021 13:53

I'm not arguing with that. I'm saying that if you don't work on the bank holiday usually then it won't be deducted from your entitlement whereas if you did normally work it then it would.

dementedpixie · 10/04/2021 13:56

And holiday entitlement is normally calculated with the pro-rata Bank holidays included already. Those with a Monday off get the same proportion of holidays but have more choice as to when to take them as they don't need to use leave to cover a bank holiday. Staff working a Monday have less choice as to when to take holidays as they need to use some of their entitlement to cover the bank holiday.

TweedPig · 10/04/2021 14:03

I have a Thursday off. Felt a bit odd at first, but actually I like having the bulk of my week over and only having to go back for 1 day afterwards. Friday is a quieter day in my office, so I often get lots of peace to work. And I still get that Friday feeling with everyone else! Occasionally I switch to having a Friday off and find working the 4 days in a row a bit knackering as I'm not used to it. I could now switch and choose any day, but I like things as they are.

QueenPaw · 10/04/2021 14:04

@Nesski my colleague does 3.5 days and it works really well for her
Our job is busy at the start of the week then tails off so she does Mon - Wednesday then Thursday finishes at midday

Bbq1 · 10/04/2021 14:09

Will be going down to 3 days eventually. My employer allows us to work 2 or 3 days but not 4 which is annoying. However, when I do drop 2 days eventually, I hope it would be a Thursday and Friday. Off on a Monday, I think you probably miss out catching up what's happening that week and she has her morning meeting ob a Monday.

gamerchick · 10/04/2021 14:12

I had Mondays off but changed it to a Friday because I was being stiffed out of bank holidays.

A longer weekend makes more sense to me than having a random day midweek.

Drunkenmonkey · 10/04/2021 14:23

Haven't RTFT but choose Monday. You get a long weekend and most bank holidays fall on a Monday which you should get added to your holiday entitlement (check that) and you can take those hols when you choose. Plus you miss the most miserably day of the week and you get a long weekend. Boom.

Kiki275 · 10/04/2021 14:26

I have Fridays off and my MIL provides childcare on Mondays. The beauty of not requiring paid childcare on a Monday is that you don't have to pay for BH Mondays in nursery when it's closed.x

bruffin · 10/04/2021 14:31

I dont work wednesdays and every other friday. But if i didnt have commitments on wednesday i would chose mondays because of bank holidays and having to pay them back

hopeishere · 10/04/2021 14:33

If I was going to do this as a pp said I might take Wednesday off so you only ever have two days at work!

Cottagepieandpeas · 10/04/2021 14:42

I have Monday off, purely because I hated Mondays at work!
And Tuesday is just not as bad!

I might change it if I start going in to the office again though. Wednesday would be good for a mid week break but we have a lot of meetings on a Wednesday so I would miss a lot. Thinking of Thursday instead.
Decisions, decisions!

Cheekyweegobshite · 10/04/2021 14:44

Where I work, if it's a bank holiday week then you can take the bank holiday as your day off that week and work your usual day off instead.

Charp · 10/04/2021 14:59

Mondays, not only for the additional holiday allowance in lieu of bank hols, but also to avoid paying for nursery on the bank holidays too. Bonus is no Sunday night blues.

Shineonyoucrazy · 10/04/2021 15:38

You shouldn't miss out on BHs by picking Monday or Friday. You will get them added to your AL entitlement pro-rata.

LysistrataVickers · 10/04/2021 15:51

I have Wednesdays off and love it. Would never swap for a Monday or Friday.

dementedpixie · 10/04/2021 15:59

@Shineonyoucrazy

You shouldn't miss out on BHs by picking Monday or Friday. You will get them added to your AL entitlement pro-rata.
Yes but if you don't normally work the Monday then you have more choice about when to take your leave. You get the same leave but less choice about when to take your days off if you do work Mondays
HoegaardenHappiness · 10/04/2021 16:04

You could Wednesday and Thursday afternoons off instead of one whole day. The advantages are that you can do two school picks ups, plus you always pick up email / project updates so no stress when missing a day.

poppycat10 · 10/04/2021 16:13

When I did a 4 day week I had Wednesdays off so I never worked more than two days in a row and when I worked full time I worked from home on a Wednesday so I didn't have to go into the office more than two days in a row.

"Everyone" has Fridays off or works from home on a Friday so that's either a good thing (you can meet people) or a bad thing (it's too busy everywhere).

I worked with one lady who had Mondays off a few years ago.

poppycat10 · 10/04/2021 16:13

I've also worked 4 days spread over 5 so five short days and now I work 3 days over 5, so even shorter days.

poppycat10 · 10/04/2021 16:14

One advantage of spreading your days over the week is that you don't get punished for being part-time by having your bank holidays pro-rata'd.

kingat · 10/04/2021 16:16

I have Mondays off.
It works out better holidaywise as you already know.
For me mid week break would be too distruptive. I already take half of Tuesday to get into "work mode", but once I am in the zone I prefer to continue focusing on work for the 4 days and then have long weekend.
Fridays are much quieter in the office, but also schools often take Friday as inset day before half term or finish at midday.
My work would be ok with switching the days later, so try and see.
I also change the day off from time to time if I have an appointment on school thing on another day, my manager never had problem with that.

DurhamDurham · 10/04/2021 16:20

There's three adults in our house and we've all dropped a day at work to work four days. Husband chose a Tuesday, daughter chose a Thursday while I sensibly chose Friday Grin to be fair to them we were all covering different days for childcare so we couldn't have the same day but I definitely got the best day.

orangegina · 10/04/2021 16:23

Monday because you never have Sunday night fever again

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 10/04/2021 16:28

I have a Wednesday off. Initially my manager suggested it because it worked with my teaching timetable and I would have preferred a Friday, but actually I love it. The week is broken up nicely, and it’s great for things like hair/eyebrow appointments when salons are quieter. My work started an early finish on a Friday shortly after I dropped to four days so I am glad I don’t miss out on that!