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Original poster

4 days week vs early finish?

14 replies

CocoC · 07/12/2011 22:54

I have a 9 month old baby, have gone back to work and intend to try and negotiate a reduction in my hours for next year as part of my end of year review.
I am considering 2 options, and am not sure which works better in practice, so would appreciate any advice from anyone who has done both of these (or one of them):

working 4 days a week (on other days, my day would be as it is today: leave house at 8am (DH takes DS to childminder), then finish work at 6pm, and get home with baby by 7pm - so just about 30mns to play/get in PJs before last feed and bed).

Working 5 days, but with an earlier finish - say 4.30 pm.

I can see pros and cons of both (if you have a full day off you can go on outings and actually do something of your day... whilst if you work 5 days but finish early you don't have time to do anything too special, but you get to have some non-stressed time every day and give baby its dinner and a bath...).

So, any advice on this would be much appreciated - not sure work will agree, but at the moment I'm not even clear what I should really be fighting for!

OP posts:

sparkle101 · 08/12/2011 19:38

I went back to work 4 days a week when my DD was 9mths old, I wasn't allowed a reduction in hours so have to do two very long days but it's fully worth it to have three full days with her. On a less exciting note it'e easier to get house work and stuff done too.

An0therName · 08/12/2011 20:25

I have done both - personally I think 4 days is better -its easy not leave early - eg meetings can run on, or you get an important phone call, also it cuts one lot of commute - which saves time and possibly money -

Grumpla · 08/12/2011 20:30

Definitely 4 days. People will judge you for leaving work 'early' and conveniently forget that you have sacrificed a fifth of your salary to do so. Meetings etc will overrun and you will be thought very unprofessional for walking out halfway through.

Have a three day weekend! So much more fun

LaCiccolina · 08/12/2011 20:37

See my post below yours! However I think from ur options a 4day week better. U will rarely leave on time if evenings. Going in later might b an option? Would it work that way round? Best o luck....,

FunnysInTheGarden · 08/12/2011 20:39

yep, I did a 4 day week once upon a time and it was great. Far better than an early finish.

FunnysInTheGarden · 08/12/2011 20:41

actually DH and I did 4 day weeks each with a different day off.........before the recession, with one child. Twas lovely. Now we are both FT, with two children

I envy your choice!

chocoroo · 08/12/2011 20:51

I've just returned to work and chose to go full time over part-time. My boss (and another ex-boss) both advised me to do so. They had both returned four days and still found they had the responsibilities of a full time role.

So far, it seems to be working ok for me. I'm usually in the office before 8:15 and leave before 5. If I was doing my job over four days I wouldn't be able to do that.

I think what I'm saying, is make sure you define your responsibilities carefull or you could end up doing the same job but for far less pay!

fluffytowels · 08/12/2011 20:58

I have done both. Early finish is more important when they get to school age but not so much for babies I don't think.

If you work 4 days, then when you get home you can just have lovely cuddles, stories etc. then on your 5th day you can do something properly together (swimming, music etc)

With early finishes, you have to prepare tea, mealtime battles. I felt I was just getting the rough bits and none of the fun

Deliaskis · 09/12/2011 11:21

This is really interesting for me as I have the same dilemma, and was veering strongly towards early finishes, but I can see now that maybe 4 days would be better in terms of quality time.

The thing is, with early finishes, I feel that I would get closer to the kind of family life I would like us to have...e.g. all eating tea together round the table etc. which was something we always did when I was a child so is important to me, and a bit of quality time every day, and less of the feeling that other people are doing everything except bath & bed. I do worry that DD sees more of Nanna (who has her two days) than me, and it feels...funny...somehow.

Hmmm...still not sure but more to mull on here.

Ellefabulosa · 10/12/2011 21:31

I have agreed with work to work 8-4. Could you do a full but early shift so you get home early? Could you ask to work at home one day so that you effectively finish earlier?

LaDiDaDi · 10/12/2011 21:38

I would do 4 days.

I worked ft with one dc and just put them to bed a bit later as that meant I could enjoy 6-8pm and just give them a quick kiss and cuddle in the morning before leaving the house (but I am much more an evening person than amorning person).

gourd · 13/12/2011 13:12

4 days is much, much better than 45 shorter days. With a 5 day week you'll have 5 meals to plan/shop for and pre-cook at the weekend and freeze if you don't have time to cook on work days, you have 5 lots of change bags/packed lunches etc to organise. Grocery shopping and planning/cooking of meals at the weekend is much easier for me now i work 4 days a week, as I only have to get us through till Thursday night - then if needed LO and I can buy anything we need for our Friday lunch/tea whilst we're out and about on Fridays. You'll also have 5 days of commuting time on top of 5 working days. Your commute on 5 short days may take just as much time out of your day as if you worked 4 longer days, so if your commute is one hour that's an additional two hours on top of your working day that you are missing out on being with your child. I work Mon-Thurs and on Thursday nights it's so good to be able to sit down and talk to my partner or get straight into the shower when LO has gone to bed rather than having to spend the next 30 minutes packing her lunch, snacks and all our bags for the next day before I can do anything else at all. I love my early night on Thursdays! Working 5 days was totally incapacitatingly exhausting, and I got very run down, but now I feel like i am just about keeping my head above water with a 4 days week! A full day with LO is so much better than the odd hour snatched here and there that you can't really do much with. We plan specific activities and visits to friends and playgroups/events as well as doing a bit of shopping and I even get some cleaning done whilst she naps.

Bramshott · 20/12/2011 13:17

With pre-school age DCs, I'd go for 4 days, but once they are at school, 5 days finishing at 4.30 is better.

Original poster

CocoC · 20/12/2011 20:28

Thanks everyone... interesting, you are making me reconsider, as I was leaning more towards the 'finishing early' option - for exactly the same reasons as Eliaskis says in her post... at the moment, the days I am working are just so different to what I experienced as a child, and always thought I would have with my own children...Feels like 'surviving' rather than actually living!

OP posts:

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