Four day work weeks?

[Texas_Signmaker]

How many of you are on four-day work weeks? I've run into a few shops that only operate 4 days. One was closed every Monday and the other was closed every Friday. Do you all work 10-hours a day? Do you or the employees like it?

My perspective as a customer it seemed a little odd, but nothing really that bugged me too much... I felt like it delayed my project a little because one of my installs was spread over the 3-day weekend. Another one I was trying to get stuff done and had to wait until late Tuesday because they were closed Monday so it was a little irritating.

Just curious what you guys do. The people that work with me prefer long hours with less days and I'm all for that. I answer the phone anytime it rings though.

 

[Bobby H]

I could only see our shop going to a 4/10 setup if business got slow. The way things are with our current Monday-Friday schedule we get a good amount of pressure from some customers to be open on Saturdays. We have had crews working on the weekends for some projects. Some people in our office (the company owner, me and a couple others) will use some or all of a Saturday to catch up on things. The phone doesn't make as much racket then.

 

[iPrintStuff]

Agree with bobby H, I’m closer to a 6 day work week than I am a 4 lol.

Naturally this will likely just be on a case by case basis and down to individual business needs.

though we are pretty flexible and have a few part timers spread over the week so we always have extra cover

 

[Taryn]

While it's just me and my boss working right now, I have a 9 to 5 schedule because he "wants me to have a life". (He, meanwhile, works 100+ hours...) The schedule is pretty flexible because of how few people we have, though.

 

[ikarasu]

A lot of places are trying 4 day work weeks... Not just shifting the hours around, but 32 hours a week instead of 40. A lot of places are finding it gets more stuff done, at better quality.... And the employees have a better quality of life.

When you think about it..... You work 8 hours a day, sleep for 8 hours.... Probably spend 20-40 minutes driving... Then take into fact all the chores and stuff you have to do... You spend most of your life sleeping/working and not relaxing. It wears you down.

I go stir crazy every long weekend. So a 4 day work week, whether it's 8 or 10 hours wouldn't be for me.


It'd be nice to have a day of business hours to get stuff done though... Lots of places aren't open on the weekend, so having a full 8 hours a week to take care of that stuff would be nice.

 

[GAC05]

Some days it feels like a 4 week work day.
We had a convergence of projects that all had to go - at the same time - first of the month.
5 days 4 nights - did not leave the shop or job sites until late on the 5th day.
Not healthy - got sick at the end.

 

[asd]

we are 9-6 M-TH and 9-1 Friday

 

[LED Signs & Designs Texas]

We... in the service side of signs, would not be able to get everything done in 4 days. Having to work around all the businesses we service, not going to happen. I have thought about the 4 day work week, but there is just no way to get there. Any ideas?

 

[WildWestDesigns]

There is just no way that I could do a 4 day work week. Even 5 is pushing it as some of my customers are already a 6 day work week. Time, customer expectations (which in my case are all other businesses, mainly other shops) just wouldn't allow for it. I'm sure it's different in different areas, with different notions of how things are done, just in this area, it wouldn't work.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I couldn't see working on a Saturday... all my customers are other businesses and no one works Saturday. I could see where Saturday is a catch up day for workaholics... Sometimes I do computer work at home on a Saturday morning or occasionally do overflow work when the week was too busy, but that is rare.

Don't make your employees work 6 days a week... and certainly don't make them come in for 4-5 hours for a half day. It still takes the same amount of time to get up and get ready and drive to work... but instead of getting paid 8 hours it's only 4? Don't be an asshole and give them time off.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I couldn't see working on a Saturday... all my customers are other businesses and no one works Saturday.

Like I said, it's going to be different for people. My situation is almost the exact opposite. Somewhere near 95% of my customers work on Saturday. Sunday is their catch up day if needed. Especially true this time of year (some do change their schedule accordingly to the holiday season).

Don't make your employees work 6 days a week... and certainly don't make them come in for 4-5 hours for a half day. It still takes the same amount of time to get up and get ready and drive to work... but instead of getting paid 8 hours it's only 4? Don't be an ******* and give them time off.

Well, considering it's just me, this isn't much of an issue. However, there are business were people do have to come in 6 days a week and on of those days is a half a day. Some jobs are 7 days a week and if "you" are on vacation, have to have somebody to take up the slack, some don't even have the option of closing up shop.

Life isn't fair sometimes.

 

[Bobby H]

A lot of places are trying 4 day work weeks... Not just shifting the hours around, but 32 hours a week instead of 40. A lot of places are finding it gets more stuff done, at better quality.... And the employees have a better quality of life.

If the employees are getting paid hourly then a move to a 32 hour work week amounts to a very serious pay cut. Lots of people working jobs in retail, restaurants, etc get hit with all sorts of reduced hour schemes like that. Many companies deliberately over-staff so they can fill shifts with people that can be classified part time with zero benefits.

What often ends up happening is these employees working reduced hours have to get a second job to make ends meet and maybe even add various kinds of "side hustles" to the mix for good measure. Such an arrangement can be mandatory if they're living in any sort of location with a high cost of living, which pretty much means any big cities in the US these days. The end result is someone working far more than 40 hours per week across multiple jobs with a not so great quality of life. Get up, go to work, come home and sleep.

I couldn't see working on a Saturday... all my customers are other businesses and no one works Saturday. I could see where Saturday is a catch up day for workaholics... Sometimes I do computer work at home on a Saturday morning or occasionally do overflow work when the week was too busy, but that is rare.

It all has to run on a case by case basis. At my company none of us are working every Saturday. But if there is a big project that we need to get finished by a certain time we'll burn the candle at both ends if necessary. The same goes for getting certain design tasks and project bids submitted faster. The flip side is a staffer can take time off during the week when there is a lull. We get a decent amount of paid vacation/personal/sick days.

 

[Stacey K]

I'm just one person but I've been trying different scenarios out for a while now. About 6 months ago I took the hours off my door and my website. The good thing is people now call or text me if they really want to stop in just to make sure I'm here. Nobody complains now if they stop and I am not in because I had to run to the post office. It's the best thing I ever did! My typical "open hours" are 8-4 M-Th and 8-noon F (I was typically in the office by 7am). I found that Fridays are my busiest day for random walk-ins for personal vehicles, one-offs etc (not interested in 90% of those jobs) and those customers talk your ear off. It is a completely useless day for production, everyone wants to chit-chat, I NEVER got anything productive done - a complete wasted day. It is also often "pick-up" day but most people can't make it in by noon so it ends up being 5-6 by the the time I leave. Many Fridays I would come in at 6 only to work until 6 - and I didn't get much done! I had to do something different. My new plan is to work 6-4 or 5 M-Th and use my Thursday as a Friday. Pick-ups/deliveries, etc are scheduled for Thursdays. I avoid planning anything for Fridays. It doesn't always work and it didn't the last couple weeks. I can usually use these Fridays now to finish up some projects, clean the shop up, prep for the next week, do some book work, etc and I leave WHEN I WANT. I still have kids at home and it's really nice to be home, have the house straightened up, etc by the time they get home at 3:00 and be ready for the weekend. It's a great feeling to start the weekend out with your family on a positive note vs. gripping about having to work an extra 4 hours because customers can't get in by noon to pick things up. It doesn't always work but that is the goal in my head and I try very hard to make it happen!

 

[Gino]

I'd rather have a 4 day weekend.................................

 

[HulkSmash]

silly and lazy idea. We would struggle to meet deadlines with that. People with those schedules are most likely partially retired, or could care less about a profit.

 

[Gino]

Totally agree. That's more of a production plant or someplace where you don't have deadlines or normal customers. Also, second or even third shifts coming in.

 

[MikePro]

most clients will just drive to the open shop across town. Signs are a service industry. ....thus it caters to the clients, not the other way around.

 

[HulkSmash]

Also good luck finding employees. People want to be paid for 5 days, so unless you're paying salary, or equivalent to them working 5 days in a HRLY wage, i think you'll have a hard time keeping staff.

 

[bannertime]

most clients will just drive to the open shop across town. Signs are a service industry. ....thus it caters to the clients, not the other way around.

Yeah, this is our only hurdle to moving to a 4 day. With our top customers it wouldn't be an issue, but we still rely on a certain number of walk-ins and people that struggle with getting orders in with plenty of lead time. Our only option would be closing on Monday as Friday is typically filled with same day orders.

We've tossed the idea around to have a single person at the shop to take orders and maybe knock out some deep cleaning on Mondays. That way it's still open, but everyone else is Tues-Fri.

We've also considered having floaters that worked Mondays but not Fridays and vise versa. Everyone only works 4 days a week, but the shop is still open. With this, we'd even venture into opening on Saturdays. We'd need a few more employees either way for this to work.

I can't wait till people get over "work." It's not "lazy" to not want to work. Get over yourself, that's just an excuse for you wasting your life away.

People should get paid for the work that gets done. If they are completing "5 days" worth of work in 4 days, then they should get paid the same as they would on the 5 day schedule.

 

[HulkSmash]

Yeah, this is our only hurdle to moving to a 4 day. With our top customers it wouldn't be an issue, but we still rely on a certain number of walk-ins and people that struggle with getting orders in with plenty of lead time. Our only option would be closing on Monday as Friday is typically filled with same day orders.

We've tossed the idea around to have a single person at the shop to take orders and maybe knock out some deep cleaning on Mondays. That way it's still open, but everyone else is Tues-Fri.

We've also considered having floaters that worked Mondays but not Fridays and vise versa. Everyone only works 4 days a week, but the shop is still open. With this, we'd even venture into opening on Saturdays. We'd need a few more employees either way for this to work.

I can't wait till people get over "work." It's not "lazy" to not want to work. Get over yourself, that's just an excuse for you wasting your life away.

People should get paid for the work that gets done. If they are completing "5 days" worth of work in 4 days, then they should get paid the same as they would on the 5 day schedule.

With that said, do you sign the front or back of the pay check?