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Original poster

Non-working day on Monday or Wednesday?

98 replies

feb1982 · 26/02/2023 14:05

I'm about to return to work after my second maternity leave and will be working 4 days with the option of either Monday or Wednesday as my non-working day (although I will be looking after both children on that day so hardly a day off 🤪).

Which day would you choose and why?

OP posts:
hettiethehare · 26/02/2023 14:30

I don't work Wednesdays and I love it - no more than two days at work before a day off.

Jollyhoho · 26/02/2023 14:33

If you have Mondays off then you won't have to pay nursery for bank holidays.

But I can see that having Wednesday is a nice way to break up the week.

However, depending on your job you may find yourself drafted into things. If there's an issue or a crisis on a Monday/Tuesday - you might find yourself logging in on a Wednesday to help resolve. Typically if something like that happens on a Thursday everyone works together to get it resolved by close of play Friday and by Monday the drama has calmed down. Or you can finish something on a Sunday evening.

That's been the thing that I've heard from colleagues going out mid-week - it's right in the middle of things and they find themselves having to dial into meetings, finish something up and feeling stressed being out the office etc etc. On a Monday, not so much.

Also taking Monday off means no Sunday night dread and if you go away for the weekend you have that buffer when you get back.

With that in mind, I'd probably take the Monday.

Brunonono · 26/02/2023 14:34

mrspinkhat · 26/02/2023 14:23

In our CS dept if you work pt and work Mondays you get screwed because of the way they work out your AL. Basically you have to work 7 hrs 30 mins to do your weekly hours, but they only allocate you 6 hrs to cover a BH. Yes, we have got the unions involved and no, they won't budge. So every BH we lose 1.5 hours. Over a year that adds up!

So check your works policy before deciding!

This doesn't make sense to me (I'm part time, NWD Monday also CS). For every Monday bank holiday (of which there are lots), I get 6 hours credit to take elsewhere. I only have to use my bank holiday entitlement to cover bank holidays that fall on my working days, not non-working days so most years that is good Friday and a few around Xmas depending on how that falls. Then the rest is basically extra annual leave.

To the OP, I would ask how the bank holidays work but if you get a pro-rata allowance for the bank holidays added on to your leave (after taking it for any bank hols on a working day), it is much more beneficial to have Mondays off.

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 26/02/2023 14:34

I would do Wednesday.
I did Mondays but had a boss who used to call all important meetings on a Monday. Wednesday worked much better.

MagpiePi · 26/02/2023 14:40

Definitely Monday becasue of the annual leave situation, also no more Sunday evening dread.

BungleandGeorge · 26/02/2023 14:43

Depends on how your employer calculates leave. If it’s pro rata bank holiday you’ll only accrue 4/5 of the bank holidays but will need to take pretty much all of them as leave. You’ll be best having a Monday off.
if your employer gives the bank holiday only to those working on that day you’ll be best having Wednesday off

VivaVivaa · 26/02/2023 14:45

I have a Monday off and I wish I didn’t. Feels like I cram all the time with DC in one go then it’s a long slog until the next weekend. Feels like a gauntlet by Friday as to whether nursery and work will happen due to cumulative tiredness and illness. I’ve never really taken advantage of the long weekend effect because we have to be back for DH’s work on Monday. When DC are school aged a Monday might be nice, but currently I don’t think it’s the best day to have off.

RidingMyBike · 26/02/2023 14:48

Wednesday as long as your work is one of those places that pro-ratas leave including bank holidays. It means you effectively get the bank hol time added as extra leave to use when you want.

RidingMyBike · 26/02/2023 14:51

Also you get 'more' childcare if you work Wed instead of Mon as if you're paying for childcare on a Monday you end up not being able to use it on bank holidays.

Imenti · 26/02/2023 14:51

I don't work on a Monday and absolutely love it. You never have the "Sunday night feeling", and any bank holidays that fall on a Monday and are within my allowance I book as lieu days at my convenience so I don't miss out.

If I had a Wednesday off I'd be tempted to just "finish off" stuff ready to go in fresh on Thursday but after the weekend I've already forgotten about any of this stuff as I've switched off for the weekend so I never log in to do anything extra on a Monday. I also don't think I'd like the stop start nature of having a Wednesday off, I think I'd find it hard to switch off, but that's just me.

Friday is always a nicer day to work as everyone is winding down and then you've got a 3 day weekend! It's also good to set yourself up for the week having the Monday off, do a couple of loads of washing or sort some dinners out, and then go out and do something with the little one - a stress free start to the week (depending on the kids mood!) Xx

GrimDamnFanjo · 26/02/2023 14:59

I used to have Mondays off. Loved it. No Sunday night feeling and my absence wasn't felt as much as everyone was very busy with their own things on Monday!

Sillyheadoooooo · 26/02/2023 15:01

Monday 100%
can ‘finish’ work for the week and have a long weekend. Better if you want a long weekend away/ bank hols away etc. I would hate a day off midweek cause my head would still be in ‘work mode’

BelindaBears · 26/02/2023 15:08

I do Wednesday and it’s great for me because my work is full on never mind adding on the school/nursery runs, cooking etc. at either end of the working day; and it means I’m never doing more than two days of the full-on days in a row. It gives a great chance to catch up midweek with any washing that needs doing, prepping food for the next couple of days and so on. A lot of places like museums and local attractions seem to be closed on a Monday, Wednesday is a great day for getting out and about with pre-schoolers.

Downsides - it sometimes feels disruptive in a work sense but I think Monday would too tbh. I do have to use leave to cover bank holidays if they fall on any day other than Wednesday (so most of them!) I get the hours credited to my leave balance to do this, but it does mean I’m getting less choice than I otherwise would about when I use my leave.

AnotherEmma · 26/02/2023 15:10

Monday for several reasons:

  • long weekend
  • extra annual leave (0.8 days for each bank holiday Monday)
  • no paying for childcare on bank holiday Mondays
  • when you have a child in school, lots of inset days fall on Mondays
The main thing is getting more annual leave and more childcare for the same money.
museumum · 26/02/2023 15:11

For personal/family reasons I’d like to take Mondays off but for work reasons I hated it. I was always running to catch up, starting every week already behind in emails etc. I switched to wednesdays and it works much better for me.
(My nursery was open on bank hol Mondays though so that wasn’t an issue).

monomatapea · 26/02/2023 15:12

Monday - if its shut bank holidays you'll be given loads of days to take another time

TheOtherBoleynGirls · 26/02/2023 15:14

Monday. The way our leave worked, the back holidays I should have had were added to my leave as extra holidays to take, which was great.

kitsuneghost · 26/02/2023 15:16

Wednesday. Traffic is a nightmare on Wednesday as that's the day most people work. Also Monday can be confusing with bank holidays.

OhNoNotThatAgain · 26/02/2023 15:17

I used to be freelance and always took Wednesdays off if I could.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 26/02/2023 15:18

I have a Wednesday off and really like it. I’m a lecturer so maybe slightly different as I have timetabled classes to do on my work days and less meetings than in other roles. I teach remotely from home on a Monday so that helps with the Sunday dread too.

per pp it is great for things like hair/dentist etc - it might just be a local thing but hairdressers here tend to close Sunday/Monday.

burnoutbabe · 26/02/2023 15:20

mrspinkhat · 26/02/2023 14:23

In our CS dept if you work pt and work Mondays you get screwed because of the way they work out your AL. Basically you have to work 7 hrs 30 mins to do your weekly hours, but they only allocate you 6 hrs to cover a BH. Yes, we have got the unions involved and no, they won't budge. So every BH we lose 1.5 hours. Over a year that adds up!

So check your works policy before deciding!

but thats the correct way to work it out - basically if you do part time they should do holidays in hours and yes you earn 4/5 of each bank holiday and it costs 1 day to take off each one.

Else you'd get -4/5 of your full time holidays (so 20 days, you get 16 so can still take 4 weeks off) plus 5/5 of the 8 days bank holidays - so 8 days - rather than 4/5 of those 8 days (ie 6.4 days)

any one who does it differently is being overly generous to part timers really.

AliMonkey · 26/02/2023 15:21

Monday. You only have one "Monday morning feeling" (on a Wed) rather than on both Mon and Thurs. You'll get 80% of nearly every bank holiday to use when you want as annual leave. You can go away for a long weekend. I have Mon off but very occasionally I've swapped to another day due to eg a meeting or training day and the week seems much longer when you start it on a Monday.

cptartapp · 26/02/2023 15:22

I don't work Mondays, my opposite colleague does.
For every Bank Holiday we are both off she has to use a days leave and I don't, meaning I have several 'extra' days every year to take when I want.
So choose Mondays.

megletthesecond · 26/02/2023 15:23

Mondays off for all the above reasons.
Also, when your DC's start school it means you can start your working week more calm and get that start to the week to yourself.

GroggyLegs · 26/02/2023 15:24

Just to echo 95% of the replies - take Monday as the non-working day.

I want my extra days to take when I want, thanks very much 👌