4 days for 85% pay or similar

[dancingqueen345]

Hello

Just wondering if anyone has successfully negotiated a 4 day working week but not taking a full 1/5 drop in salary? If so, how did the conversation go and any tips?

I’m due to return to work in a couple of weeks to an incredibly stressful job that would frequently have me working into the evenings and now with a 2.5year old and a 7 month old I just really feel I want some balance, but I would struggle taking a 20% salary drop. I also know there would still be some late nights, so whilst I may be working 4 days on paper, the hours would be more.

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

I reduced from 5 days to 4.5 days and took the pay reduction that goes with that.

Being honest, I still do my full time work but it's just more stressed and compacted. None of my kpis or targets reduced despite the reduction so i have to, because if I don't hit them every month I don't get bonus.

I resent getting 3 days less annual leave a year and I resent the pay reduction, considering I still have to produce the exact same as my 5-day working colleagues with 2 - 2.5 working days less time a month. However, I greatly value that half day away (disabled child). So it's a decision I have learned to live with and fully accept.

When working 5 days, I wouldn't mind taking a call on leave, or checking an email if asked. But now, it's a hard no. Well, actually, it's just 'ignore'! The way I see it is they benefit from me reducing hours but obtaining the same work.and paying less, so I'll benefit from it too - by not sacrificing my free time without pay.

@brunettenorthern91 I love the positivity, thank you so much!

Where I am actually has a female dominated C-Suite… but I am absolutely not averse to using it to my benefit when moving to another company.

You’re so right with Option 1 though, things change so quickly and it’s motivation to make 4 days work so that I’m still an obvious choice despite that.

Really appreciate such a detailed/helpful reply though, and sending all the good career vibes back to you!

@Whatthebarnacles I’m glad you’ve made peace with it for your own situation but that’s just exactly what I’m worried about, and it’s just not bloody fair!

Why on earth would an employer agree to that?
but if the full working week is 37.5 hours (that’s what my company is since the working time directive came in) and you did 4x8 hours I think that would come in at about 85%. (I work ‘half time’ 4 hours a day but it comes in at more than half FTE)

My employer (private sector) had various working patterns that you could choose from.
All worked out at the same number of hours over a set period but attendance varied according to your personal choice.
I personally favoured a 4-day week (with a slightly longer day) while others preferred a 5-day week or something slightly different like a 9-day fortnight.
Meant you had people coming & going at different times but it worked very well and everyone was happy to be able to choose the pattern that suited them best.

Check your take home pay if dropping to 80%.
It will be probably less than a 20% drop when compared to your current take home pay.

@ErrolTheDragon because my contribution to the business is significant enough for them to agree to it? It’s not a concept I’ve totally made up - I have a friend who works 4 days for 90% pay but she was just offered that by her employer after a difficult period in her life because she was previously an exceptional employee. But obviously as she didn’t request it she can’t help much with my original question.

This is what I did. I had a job with evening work. I said I couldn't do it anymore without being duly recompensed as I had to pay a babysitter. They wouldn't give a pay rise but agreed I could go down to 4 days but be paid 4.5 to cover the evening hours.

I work five in four so I get 100% of my salary and a weekday off. I do one twelve hour day a week, and the other 3 are around 8-8.5. if you have to work an evening could you offer that? Or even 4 9.25 hour days.

For sure, I’d have thought, because of the tax bands.

I do compressed hours (5 days in 4) and it’s great! I was working the hours anyway and it made me realise I was basically working Fridays for free. Negotiated it when returning from mat leave (and called it mummy daughter day with wee one) she starts school in Aug and I’ve no intention of going back 5 days. I have changed jobs twice and both times negotiated it before accepting the job.

Can you do four days with the fifth day as flexible hours to do as and when in evenings after kids in bed? So for example 9-5 four days a week but 8-10pm on a couple of evenings?

Just be very careful that your workload is also reducing by same ratio as your reduced hours and pay. As it’s only a few hours you’d be dropping they are unlikely to employ someone to cover that work.
Ive seen several friends return 4 days a week and basically cover the same full time workload for part time pay! It happens a lot with 4 day jobs

If your job is one where you are expected to work evenings, then I can’t see them agreeing to that. I work a demanding job and dropped to 4 days with a 20% cut. Getting less of a cut would essentially mean a pay rise and that I would be getting paid for working evenings, when this is standard for my job.

You need to be exceptional for them to consider that and not risk losing you.

After tax, dropping a day to 0.8FTE would only reduce my salary by 15% - so you might find the calculations are better than you think.

I do compressed days so 8-6 instead of the 9-5 so only lose a few hours in my pay packet but get the extra whole day off, it’s great. A 9 day fortnight is quite popular in our work place. They are finally getting to the point that everyone is on compressed days so most only do a 4 day week and it’s working really well for the business with less sick too.

Thanks everyone for sharing your arrangements. I’ve just been running the numbers and I think i’m going to request 4.5 days, compressed over 4 days, with 2 of those days wfh and 2 in the office.

This is what I do, it works really well

If you’re already working into the evenings, would compressed hours actually be do-able? Realistically, dropping to 4.5 days is not going to reduce your workload, and then you’re compressing that into 4 days when you’re already frequently working evenings, and you’re losing money.

Role I do is 4 day week. When joined the core hours were 7 a day (so full time is 35 pw). I negotiated 7.5 hrs a day as I’m always needing to work more than the basic (and for a c suit role it’s expected) so get 86% of full time salary. Based on what you’ve said that’s likely doable.

Lots do - compressed hours