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

[Nesski]

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).

Im off on Tuesday. Works well for me with BH etc. Shen its a BH monday i take 3 days AL to get a 9 day break inc weekend.

I have Mondays off because I have always had severe Sunday night dreads. Improves my quality of life no end. (In pre-Covid times it was ideal as my hairdresser did cheap Monday appts!)

Alternate Mondays and Fridays. Then you get a 4-day weekend every fortnight.

I have mondays off - the bank holidays that fall on monday are added to my annual leave.

Loads people take Wednesday in our place to break their week but I prefer 4 days in row to get things done.

the advantage of having Wednesday off work is, you can book a Tuesday of after a bank holiday and have a mini 5 day break - only having to book one day annual leave. Easter you get a 6 day break for one days annual leave

so thats 4 mini breaks for 4 days annual leave

I used to have Wednesday off when DS was little and I loved it. I’d recommend that day over any other day.

I've got Tuesday at the moment and I like it.

Is the bank holiday Monday thing (if you don’t work Mondays) a statutory right?
I’m pretty sure I don’t get that.

@Charp

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.

That must be a private nursery thing? My daughter pays nursery every week but if it’s a bank holiday then there is no charge for that day As they are closed( council nursery)

@Cottagepieandpeas

Is the bank holiday Monday thing (if you don’t work Mondays) a statutory right? I’m pretty sure I don’t get that.

No ...but all public sector workers get it...and many private companies....I would feel short changed if I didn’t get my leave plus all the banks holidays ( pro rata 4/5ths as it work 4 days)

I dont work mondays.
Mainly for the bank holidays. Our place is closed on bh, and we get 10 days extra leave to cover these. Pro rata.
If I was working mondays, I would have to use 2 hours of my leave to cover bh. As I dont, I get 3h of extra leave each time.
Also, more people seem to work the beginning of the week, so it's pretty quiet by Thursday/friday.
For our school, sports day is always thursday.
Xmas play tues and wed.
Cross country Thursday.
Parents invited to read with kids on mondays.
School fair fri or sat
School disco friday

I have Fridays off and love it, wouldn't swap it for anything. Have also had Wednesday off for one year; hated it as always found myself working. People don't send as many emails on a Friday, in my experience!

Monday because of bank holidays. Four of the bank holidays are (almost) always Mondays so that frees up leave to use elsewhere.

I negotiated a floating day (fairly senior though) and work FT, 4 long days. I can take any day as the non working day, but it has to be planned around important meetings, and I've committed to being flexible. I put these in my diary about a month in advance. Works for me but no childcare arrangements these days.

All the "old hands" at the 4 day week advised me to take a midweek day and Wednesday worked well for me. I was very client facing and if one rang on a Wednesday they were usually happy to wait until Thursday whereas if I'd been off when they'd rung on Friday they probably wouldn't have been prepared to wait until Monday.

I don't work on Fridays. Three whole days off are wonderful and I feel so much more relaxed about having to work just four days.
It's like I have two different lives.
Love it .

I would say a Wednesday...
Don't miss anything at start of week and are around for end too...
IMO nativity and assembly days vary depending on which school year DC are in

@ivykaty44

the advantage of having Wednesday off work is, you can book a Tuesday of after a bank holiday and have a mini 5 day break - only having to book one day annual leave. Easter you get a 6 day break for one days annual leave

so thats 4 mini breaks for 4 days annual leave

Not in most places though. I have to book a BH falling on my non working day as annual leave. So if BH is a Monday, if my day off was Wed, I still have to book Mon and Tue off - 2 days for that mini break. Instead, I wait a week when it is a lot cheaper and book Tue and Wed then.

@HunterHearstHelmsley that doesn't make sense if you get the bare minimum annual leave ie 5.6 weeks or 28 days depending on work place this might be 20+ 8 bank holidays
4 Bank holidays are always Mondays 1 is a friday the others vary depending on which days Christmas Boxing and New years day are ( it is possible that 2 of these could be Mondays too)
if you always work mondays between 4-6 days of your annual leave are already accounted for leaving 22-24 days free choice or pro rata
all this assumes that annual leave is a free choice the rest of the time some workplaces mandate holidays ie 8 days at Christmas and close for 2 weeks in summer or whatever
if however fridays are your day off there will be 1-3 days BH and 25-27 free choice
if your day off is wednesday there will be no bank holidays most years just occasionally Christmas so all your annual leave is free choice
your work can't not give you days off inside of the monday bank holiday as then you would not have the legal amount of annual leave

Wednesdays off mean your baby only has 2 days away from you at a time so could work well.

Sorry, I have to book BH falling on working day as annual leave

of course @kingat if you normally work Mondays and it's a Bank holiday it is one of your annual leave days as it is for everyone working there full time or part time;

so if you wanted a break from Saturday to wednesday you would use 2 days annual leave Monday and Tuesday the wednesday you never work so you get 5 days with 2 days leave on this occasion, a different person who never worked mondays would also use 2 days leave , just in their case it would be tuesday and wednesday

I have Wednesday and I absolutely love it. Never too long to a day off. Also DD benefits from it because she's always tired on full on nursery days so a break mid week works well for her.

@Kitkat151

I have Mondays off....so end up with more leave to take when I want because most of the bank holidays are Mondays....if you take any other day you will end up with less annual leave as bank holiday hours are only pro rata for part time time...but you still need to take the full hours to have the bank holiday off.....

I agree with this. I used to have have Thursdays off and it really used to be frustrating only accruing 6.5 days pro rata for bank holidays but having to use 8 days holiday to take the bank holidays off (and no option to work instead).

It wasn't bad having Thursday off - it was nice having a mini-weekend on Wednesday. Coming back in for Friday was fine because people are generally in a good mood on Fridays.

I've had every day off at different points as I'm a teacher so my timetable changes every year. I like having Wednesdays and Fridays off the best. Tuesday was fine too. Didn't enjoy Monday off (felt I was playing catch up when I went in on the Tuesday) or Thursday (hard to get myself going for Friday)