Should I cut down to 4 days a week / 80%?

[Butterflysize]

Has anyone done this to reduce stress and it worked? Or has anyone regretted it?

Lying awake. Need to be up in less than 6 hours. Following another stressful week at work and arguing with DH, being short fused with the children, I need to do something.

I earn a good salary which means I am taxed at additional rate and don’t love giving so much of my earnings in tax being completely honest - rough working out is I’d be about £800 a month worse off. I already sort of do compressed full time into 4 days, I’m not sure it’s helping as I have 3-4 completely relentless and very long days, and the day off doesn’t feel ‘real’ somehow because in my head I’m still full time.

Any advice?

I used to work FT and found dropping to 4 days (80%) made things much easier in my case and was worth the pay cut, 100%. Far less stressful, just having that one day back during the week made such a difference - I did it for childcare reasons but also means I can meal plan, tidy house, do a food shop that day etc, made life more manageable than when I worked FT but that's just my personal experience.

I think it helps but you have to be careful that your workload is reduced too

Yes but you have to be super strict in terms of the work you take on. The cut in pay doesn't feel so bad when you realise it's that bit that's taxed at the top rate

I agree with the previous posters about ensuring your work load is reduced by 20% if you go down to 4 days. In my experience, when you're reducing by relatively small fractions (so no job share) that doesn't always happen. I'd go in with a clear suggestion of what could be dropped as part of the proposal.

I did it 18 months ago and don't regret it at all. Will never work full time again. As previous replies have already said, be super strict about how much work you take on and make sure you're not working extra hours that you're not paid for.

I went 80% a few years ago and coming in on Tuesday was hell, as the previous posters have pointed out, nobody did my work obviously, they were also too busy.

The 3 day break was perfect though. Its a much better work /life balance and i did decstress, go for walks, tidy up, do yoga feel on top of the house!! So i was so happy with that tweaked balance. I stopped because I was doing 100% of the work for 80% of the money which was ridiculous.

i have thought about doing it again in the future. I'm in a different civil service dept now. If I go up to 42k (in Irl) I think it is, then tax band wise, going 80% would leave me with more than 80% of my pay.

I did miss the money last time when I went 80% but it was during pandemic when I wasn't buying nice clothes, wasn't going out. Just food and ..... leisure wear! So I managed.

Ps, I actually think Wednesday would be the day I'd take off if I did it again as last time I was often still in lazy mode for the weekend and didn't get the stuff I needed to do done on monday.

Occasionally I take a Wednesday off and I get a lot more done (at home). Also I found sometimes trying to fit in various personal appointments into my day off on Monday, some hairdressers, gyms, dental hygienists weren't open on monday ha, cheek of them.

So that's my thinking for next time.

Definitely only do it if your workload will reduce, eg if full timers look after 20 accounts/clients/whatever, yours needs to go down to 16 otherwise all you're doing is volunteering for a 20% pay cut.

And hold people to your non working day being a non working day - they should not expect a response from you on that day and if you have to attend meetings, you will take another day that week as a non working day - but I suppose it depends on what your job is how you can make it work. I agree that Wednesday is a good non working day.

The alternative would be could you buy in help? £800 pm would go a long way towards extra cleaner/housekeeper/childcare time.

I don't suppose there's any chance of your DH picking up more of the slack and dropping his hours to free up time to do more at home, especially if he earns less than you?

I do this. Like you, I have a good salary so I can get by working 4 days. I wouldn’t go back to full time. It means I get a day to do a hobby, relax and catch up on things.

You could always do a 6 month probation and see how it works out for you?

Thanks for all the replies - sounds overwhelmingly positive, IF the workload actually reduces. Which will need me to have very strong boundaries. I struggle with this and have major people pleasing tendencies

@SarahSosej I was thinking of asking for an initial 6 month trial

my main concern is that as I’m already technically meant to have a day free and do 4 longer days BUT it ends up that I’m completely stressed and flat out on the 4 days and the ‘day off’ still doesn’t reset things enough to relax, that the same will happen. The difference would be that I wouldn’t feel obligated to still put in a 100% performance crammed into a short week I guess. I’d be putting forward work to drop / redistribute as part of my written proposal.

Has anyone switched from 5 days in 4 to 80% FTE over 4 days who can share if the reduction in hours does actually help??

@Bjorkdidit buying in more help is exactly what we have been discussing and planning for, I just seem to have had a sudden moment of ‘this isn’t even going to help if I just then work more and have more work stress’. I ideally would like both of course 🙃

Only you know if your workload would actually be reduced. I've seen so many colleagues drop to 80% and their workload hasn't reduced, it puts me off doing it. I do 10 days in 9, it's very manageable. Can you outsource more things like housework, laundry, gardening, instead?

I've just done this and financially we are OK but workload is still high. So, I applied for a low stress WFH job that is full time on what I would have taken home previously on 4 days a week. I start in a few weeks time.

Life is too short to be stressed like this. I found that I waste loads of money on lunches, an extra family car we didn't need..... Just escape, cut your cloth accordingly and put yourself first :-)

10 days in 9 is very popular where I work….not much extra each day

Very dependent on your role and workplace culture. I have worked between 28-32 hours for nearly a decade and found that working 30-32 hours is a bit rubbish whether or not it's worked over 4 days or 5 days as I have just been expected to do the equivalent of a ft role in less hours and I miss out on the nice developmental or networking side of work.

When I worked 28 hours over 3.5 days was the only time I felt people saw me as truly 'part time' and made adjustments so if I could have afforded it I would have stayed with that pattern! Many people work compressed hours now so it's hard to differentiate between those who are being paid for reduced hours and those working compressed ft hours. Also as a part timer you still have the same standing weekly meetings to fit into your diary, same training and development needs and then have to fit your core work i to less hours

I went from 5 to 4 days many years ago when my DD was born and only went full time around 16 years later when I changed companies.
Before they went to school I had the kids at home on that day and saved on childcare. I also met up with mum friends,did swimming lessons etc. I also got a food shop delivered and cleaned when they were napping.
When they were in school I used the time to meet friends, get on top of the house etc and I could pick them up and have their pals over.

I really enjoyed it and didn’t feel like I missed the £ much after a bit-we were more planned on meals etc which saved a bit anyway.

The key as others have said is getting the workload reduced alongside the hours.

I was very reluctant to go back to FT but now I can WFH at least 3 days a week I am here to take in the food delivery,can bung some washing on over lunch etc and still but efficient at work.

@Butterflysize I have reduced to 80% but spread it out over 5 days working 9am - 3pm. The shorter days have allowed me to unwind in the afternoon and spend more time with the kids. Because I am still working 5 days I don't feel like I drop the ball and nothing really gets 'left' for me to pick up. I'd highly recommend.