Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Original poster

Which 4 days?

38 replies

Smarshian · 15/10/2020 07:57

I am starting a new job in a few weeks and I need to decide which 4 days to work. I will be doing 2 long days (8-5.30) and 2 short days (9-3.30). Which would you choose? For reference I have 2 DC. 3 and 2 - they both go to a private nursery while I’m at work. I currently work 3 days (MWF)

OP posts:
Daftness · 15/10/2020 08:01

I would do the two long days on Mon and Tue to get them over with, then two short days on Wed and Thu.

dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:01

Tuesday to Friday maybe as most bank holidays tend to fall on a Monday. Not working Mondays would give you a bit more choice of when to take your holidays (if your workplace closes on a bank holiday)

IjustbelieveinMe · 15/10/2020 08:05

I would do Monday - Thursday (2 long days first) Friday's off mean you always get a long weekend on bank holidays.

TH22 · 15/10/2020 08:06

Tues - Fri. You will then be able to take 80% of bank holiday Monday days in lieu.

dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:08

Definitely don't do a Monday if your workplace closes on a bank holiday as you will need to use holiday days to cover them.

Insertfunnyname · 15/10/2020 08:08

I would take Monday off in order to have a day to get the house sorted after the weekend. Especially with children I find that Monday’s are spent doing all the laundry, cleaning and tidying that they’ve undone on the Saturday and Sunday!

Original poster
Smarshian · 15/10/2020 08:13

That sounds lovely but unfortunately I won’t get much chance to sort the house as the children will be here 😂. Would anyone split the week up or would you all add the extra day to the weekend?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:14

I've given the reason for not working Mondays

HowFastIsTooFast · 15/10/2020 08:15

Different opinion here as I've had to think about the same thing recently; unless long weekends are particularly important or helpful to you then I'd do Monday/Tuesday & Thursday/Friday.

That way you're only ever 2 days away from your next day off with the DC (and if it's something that's important to you your house only has 2 days of 'haven't got time neglect' before you can give it a bit of a sort round) Smile

AnotherEmma · 15/10/2020 08:17

It's very personal. A lot of people like a 3 day weekend so they have Mondays or Fridays off (that would be my choice). But some people like a day off midweek, eg Wednesdays, so you're only ever working 2 days in a row.

If you do work Fridays make that one of your short days.

sunlight81 · 15/10/2020 08:18

Short days Mon and Fri, long days Tues and Thurs - Wednesdays off.

A midweek break is awesome and will help u recharge 👍🏻

Blondebear123 · 15/10/2020 08:21

If take Tuesday or Wednesday off . Work the Monday as Bank Holidays fall then

dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:23

But if she doesn't work a Monday she gets more choice of when to take her holidays

If she works a Monday then any Monday Bank Holiday gets deducted from her holiday entitlement giving less choice of when to take them

Laurendelight · 15/10/2020 08:27

Most mums when mine were toddlers took Fridays off. Great for meet ups not so great when everything is busy. Pre COVID obviously.

ohidoliketobe · 15/10/2020 08:32

I have Thursdays off, seems to be a quieter day when doing activities with pre school age DC and it is nice to break the week up. When I return from mat I might switch to weds off and do 2 blocks of 2

Wannabegreenfingers · 15/10/2020 08:36

When my kids where that age, I used to take the Wednesday off. It broke the week up nicely for them. Now they are older I work Monday - Thursday. Works well for me.

Cheeseycheeseycheesecheese · 15/10/2020 08:37

Id have the midweek split too and work Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri. I'd also have Tues and Fri as short days and Mon and Thurs as long days, that way your weekend starts early on a Friday and you get the Tuesday afternoon off with the Wednesday.

HowFastIsTooFast · 15/10/2020 08:39

@dementedpixie

But if she doesn't work a Monday she gets more choice of when to take her holidays

If she works a Monday then any Monday Bank Holiday gets deducted from her holiday entitlement giving less choice of when to take them

Eh? That's not how it works where I works.... ?

If you work a Monday and there's a bank holiday, you get the day off (or if you're needed to work it, you get another day off in lieu).

At the very worst surely if OP had Wednesdays off and her employer worked in this odd 'charging for bank holidays' way then she could just have Monday as her day off that week and work Wednesday?

Original poster
Smarshian · 15/10/2020 08:43

@dementedpixie is right about how the bank holidays work. I’m just not sure if it’s a big enough factor for me compared with other things like having company on my day off and whether to have the kids in nursery for 4 days in a row.

OP posts:
AnotherEmma · 15/10/2020 08:43

I don't have to use annual leave for bank holidays, either. If a bank holiday falls on a working day, we get the day off and don't have to use annual leave. Part-time staff get extra pro-rata'd annual leave for any bank holidays that fall on non-working days. (So if you didn't work Mondays you'd end up with extra annual leave for all the bank holiday Mondays.)

Wherearefoxssocks · 15/10/2020 08:43

I have a Wednesday off. I love it as it means I never work more than 2 days in a row.

HowFastIsTooFast · 15/10/2020 08:44

Then I stand corrected, but I've never heard of that before! Confused

dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:44

When holiday entitlement is worked out bank holidays are normally added on as part of it. Op will only get a proper rata amount of bank holidays if working only 4 days.

If the bank holiday falls on a working day it is deducted from the holiday entitlement worked out above and leaves fewer hours/days to be taken at a different time

dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:46

But yes it depends what your other priorities are and how you want to sort out childcare/nursery, etc

dementedpixie · 15/10/2020 08:48

And as you will work long days and shorter days your annual leave should really be calculated in hours rather than days

Swipe left for the next trending thread