To think Friday would be a rubbish NWD?

[newishmama]

I’m on mat leave considering which two days I’d like to ask for as NWDs. One thing I have consistently noticed is that everywhere seems busy on a Friday, almost as though it’s an extra weekend day. Cafes, the local country park, and don’t get me started on supermarkets! I don’t think Monday is too much different either although I see why people ask for this off as it’s advantageous for bank holidays for many.

I am considering working M/Tu/F, with a mini weekend in the middle of the week with Wednesday and Thursday off. Does anyone do this, or a split week?

I would avoid Monday due to bank holidays as you end up worse off for it but yes I'd prefer a mid week break

My understanding is that this is accounted for if you have Mondays off - you'd get those days in lieu.

Definitely take Monday or Fri then you get a long weekend

I worked 4 days with Thursday off to start and then Mondays. On balance, I think I preferred Thursdays as it broke up the week.

And there are definitely benefits to breaking up your nursery/ childminder days. If you do 3 in a row, all of them can be wiped out if they vomit on the first day in.

@TheKeatingFive

yes but in most work places if you work part time bank hols are pro rata. So say full time is40 hours and you work 20 hours, if you work 8 hours typically on a Monday you would only be entitled to 4 hours bh pay so in order to get bank holidays off you have to top up your days wage using 4 hours of your Holliday allowance which for between 4-7 bank hols a year adds up.

If Monday is your none working day you would get 4 hours in lieu to take at your leisure.

Fridays are the quietest days in our office as most people are off including all the bosses so it’s the best day to be at work for me. Also less clients calling again because they are more likely to be off. I picked Monday as my day off mainly for the bank holidays which I can then take at another time.

I do 4 days Mon,Tues, Fri and Sat. I love having the 2 days off in the middle of the week and it means I don't work more than 2 days together.

But also I work retail so Bank Holidays count as a working day!

I have Mondays off, husband has Fridays. Monday is nice and quiet, with the downside that more places take the opportunity to shut on a Monday.

I work M-W if I could change this now I would to W-F
I get frustrated that my holidays are taken up by BH and yet there is no option to even work them. We don't go anywhere over BH so apart from Christmas I would rather have the choice. Also seem to be more groups for toddlers at start of week

I'm going back soon with Tuesdays and Fridays off. It seems that the majority of toddler clubs and activities around us are on these days so they make the most sense to be able to do activities with DS.

If you work on Mondays you will have to lose somewhere holiday days to cover the bank holidays as they are likely to be pro rata.

It depends what people want to do with their NWD, I'd say. If you want to meet up with mum friends, Friday is likely to be the commonest day they're not working. If you want to access things when least busy, you're better off with midweek days off.

If you're considering working Mondays, see what your workplace does about leave and day swapping. If your workplace would be fine with you working a different day on BH weeks to avoid using a day of leave, that gives you more flexibility.

This. Traffic always better on Fridays and Mondays because all the part timers taking them off! And yes to Fridays being more of a down day at work - we always had a slow Friday afternoon and often an early finish.

Similarly - I never used an annual leave day for Christmas Eve because we didn’t do much work and finished early - usually brought in treats and just fannied about.

I didn't get much choice, I could have had either Thu & Fri off or Mon & Tue. I went for Mon & Tue and really like that I never get any Sunday dread! Some places close Mon/Tues which is slightly annoying but not really a problem as there are always other places to go. I like working Friday as it feels more relaxed!

I had Thur/Fri off which was good for long weekends away.

I did feel I missed out on the fun stuff that happened in work on Fridays though.

I'd have chosen to take Mondays off if I had the option as works out so much better with bank holidays.

Best combo for my three day week back in the day was

In Monday
off Tuesday
in Wed/Thurs
off Friday.

Long weekend every week, and a super break every time there was a BH Monday.

Different days suit different people/needs though.

It's busy on a Friday because that's when most parents take their non working day with non-school age children. So if you have mum friends you want to meet up with, having Friday off is the most likely day you'll be able to hang out. All my NCT group except me have that day off, so we miss a lot of meet ups. And if you want to do toddler classes, I've found classes on other days of the week can be quite small and not as well attended so less fun for the kids.

I have Monday as one of my non-working days as it's better for holidays. I never work on the Monday bank holidays themselves, and I get extra days added to my holiday allowance to make up for that.