4 day work week.

[farmboygraphics]

Anyone ever tried it. I'd love having a day off during the week. Thoughts?

[Frog]

The last seven years I spent in someone else's shop, we worked four ten hour days
Most liked it. Friday off for an early start on the weekend (or for that skeleton crew for the big job you need to get out)

Funny thing, on my first day, no one had told me, and you should have seen the looks I got when I started packing up and going after eight!

[ebscreen]

Years ago we were able to and loved it, four tens beats five eights any day. Lot more productive as well.
But now if we miss a day of production we're screwed so it's the old nine to five. Been considering nine eighties though,
every other Friday off, except for the office....

[Sbrem]

If it works for the owner, why not. It's not like he's going to get it off. In my first screenprinting job, we had a mandatory (or don't take the job) 10 hours overtime, so that was 5 - 10 hour days, meaning the extra 2 hours is not such an ass kicker, unless you're working in the severe heat that a lot of do...

Steve

[blue moon]

we are on 4x10 rotations with tuesdays off. We could not do friday as there ar many last minute jobs that are due last day of the week. Then monday is a catch up day. In practice, we work 5 10's more often than not during the busy season, but try to rotate so ppl still only work 4 days. In other word, it's messy, but doable and makes ppl happy to have a day off. Also if they do come in, it's a full day of overtime so the money is worth it.

office staff is on normal rotation though, this is for the production only. Phones have to be answered . . .

pierre

[GraphicDisorder]

Considered it, I think it could work in some scenarios. But id always need to be here for sales 5 days anyway so even though my guys want it we've never tried it.

[larryk]

4 day work week..... Hell Yeah! By the end of this year I am hoping to have my shop and myself debt free. So I plan on raising everyone of the employee's wages to be like a 40 hour week but only work 32. We all have an extra day off to do what we please and everyone is happy. I also plan on firing a few PITA customers to lighten the workload so we can keep it at 32 hours. Sounds good in theory, now let's see if it works in reality.

[ABuffington]

4 x 10 does work out pretty well.  We saw a drop in energy costs from it, workers liked it.  To me if you run multiple shifts it's ideal.  6-4:30 first, overlapped second shift 4-2, then had two guys who performed maintenance, shooting screens,  and doing press set-ups from 2-6, paid them 2x so a lot wanted that job.  The 4x10 helped when we got really slammed and needed to run a 3x12 Friday through Sunday, paid them 40hrs.  However, when I was the production manager or owner and we only ran one shift I was the one printing like a mad man on Friday with little help when orders didn't finish.  Still we had no employee turnover, and who doesn't want a 3 day week every weekend?

[mooseman]

Tom, what the hell are you thinking.......you have a major competitor less than 4 miles away and at least two secondary competitors less than 6 miles away and my lazy a$$ 18 miles away. If you have to take a day off during the week think about  Monday...
mooseman

[TCT]

The benefits without a doubt out weigh the drawbacks. I have 2 people on 4 10's now, but it never works for yours truly. It always seems like 5  10's for me!

I hate the idea of 4 days a week for customer service/emails/ect. though.

[Frog]

The benefits without a doubt out weigh the drawbacks. I have 2 people on 4 10's now, but it never works for yours truly. It always seems like 5  10's for me!

I hate the idea of 4 days a week for customer service/emails/ect. though.

The place I worked always had one or two in the office all five days.

[ISSTeam]

In my previous life, I was an HR Director for 10 years in Georgia and California. That being said, if you decide to go for an alternative work week, make sure you check your state's OT laws. For instance, in California, you pay OT after eight hours in the day, so that would be two hours of OT a day. In Georgia, it is paid after 40 hours.
In my experience, if you can do it for your employees, they will love it!

[ebscreen]

In CA you have to adopt an "alternative scheduled work week" which basically allows you any configuration
of up to ten hours a day/eighty every two weeks without paying overtime. So possible, just more hassle, about
like anything business related here.

[tonypep]

On St Thomas I worked 1/2 day Fridays.....always some emergency to take care of. Then lunch on Maegens Bay with Kristin

[Binkspot]

In another life we worked rolling schedules, M-T 10 hour, F-M off, T-f 10 hour then S-S off. Every Monday and Friday would be a half crew, you would get every Saturday and Sunday off and every other week you would get a 4 day weekend.
Found it to be more productive, less people calling in sick knowing every other weekend was a 4 day one and instead of winding down and cleaning up after 7-1/2 hrs you would get a full 9-1/2 out of everyone. Sometimes that extra two hours meant the difference of getting the job done.