Question is self explanatory. I realise that this is not necessarily an option for everyone but would be interested to hear thoughts.
I recently started 4 x 10 hr days so that we can keep my son out the petri dish that is daycare. I work 7am-5pm Mon-Thur and find that it works well though it does not leave much flexibility if something comes up
@Piranha2004: Very nice ! Is there career development prospects? if gov were to cut budgets and consolidate departments and you went back to private do you feel you would remain competitive? I didnt know that you could earn that much in Gov, my only fear is becoming uncompetitive and stale from the red tape structures. But it is very enticing to know those hours and pay are available in gov departments as a PM.
@TheBilly: Depends on the dept. Pay in govt is fair and at least rises regularly with CPI.i left my last two jobs in private sector because of stagnant pay. There are always slackers and processes that stifle you but I don't let that bother me because I'm a contractor and can technically walk away anytime.
Easy, why would anyone contract at less than that? Might as well go perm then!
I'm in the same situation and need to change jobs. I went from a comfy 45 hour/week job on 88K to a senior role chasing career progression. Pay is 110K but I'm expected to work 60-70 hours per week which is really bringing me down and not a heathly work life balance.
I'm in opposite situation
Where I am now, if I take a career progression role, my pay will go down and I'll work more hours lol
Hell yeah. Any contractor in my big IT company (including me).
Yes. That or 3x12 hours one week and 4x12 hours the next. I sometimes do back to back shifts for more days off.
I usually work a 38 hour working week which is usually 4 days at 8 hours plus unpaid lunch break then work a shorter day on Friday. I've also worked at places where the working day was 8.5 hours per day then a rostered day off every now and again effectively making it a 9 day fortnight.
I would like to work 38 hours per week over 4 days but I've not found a willing employer.
I'll keep looking.
work at the mines, you'll be doing 12h x 7 days straight (night or day shifts) and then get a 7 day holiday. Hours are gruesome, but you'll be compensated with a Joe Hockey sized annual salary. Even admin staff in the mines earn close to double the national minimum hourly wage.
You might say, why would anyone want to move to the middle of no where to work at a mine. Funny enough, a large majority of the work force fly in and fly out (they live in the city, but fly in to work).
I don't know about a Joe Hockey sized annual salary any more, but if the boom comes back in full the wages are quite good.
Admin don't get paid as much as you think, their base rates are very similar to that of in the city, they just earn living away from home allowances etc that rise the wage up.
As they should.
A lot of people working in mines these days are labour hire and aren't on fantastic money, but they do it for the roster.
I agree with you.
The Joe hockey comment was a hyperbole. But mining wages are definately much higher than the quoted "average" Australian earnings of 80k by Scott Morrison. However, I am sure wages will rise again, the mines works on a cycle just like stock and property market.
You are correct with Admin staff base wages being decent,but when combined with allowances it does become much more enticing. This is based on the assumption, minimum wages is $18p/h. So earning $30 p/h is extremely good for Admin staff.
You might say, why would anyone want to move to the middle of no where to work at a mine
Well it's funny you say that. I have thought, if you work a high paid role in Sydney you are usually on the road to and from work and at work for 14 or more hours a day. You really only go home to sleep, iron your clothes for the next day and pack lunch. So what is really the difference between relocating and staying away from home or working in Sydney and staying away from home. Food for thought.
The difference is that, you will save money at the mines because you got nothing to spend it on. :) And I will take any plane ride over a anger filled commute to and from work via car.
That company name start with a "T"?
hey, if I am early 30s white collar worker, is it impossible to enter the sector? I would assume if I requalify as tradie, why would they take 30s oldies when they have young bucks 18s raring for a gig?
I actually find the working arrangements to be to my liking. Work hard for 3 weeks and I can have 3 weeks off pursuing my other interests in life.
You probably have to start as an apprentice, and work your way up. There not many to come by because, your mentor needs to be a qualified tradie. And not many sole tradies are willing to take up on apprenticeship because it directly affects their bottom line (too many tradies available mean less pay for them) , unless, they are running a business.
I work these hours albeit 38 hours though. Its fantastic to get 3 days off.
Yes!! I do about 2.5hrs - 3hrs of travel to and fro. So I'll just work from home those 4 days haha. Win win.
Looking forward to dropping back to a four-day week once I get closer to retirement.
compressed hours, yes
you bet I would. Now to find somewhere to allow it.
I work FIFO and do 8x12hr days and have 6 days off.
Love it
I use to work 4 x 12hrs (2 day 2 night) with IBM, then 4 days off. Loved it at the time
I lived with 3 Scottish guys who worked with Intel, they did 12 hr shifts, alternated 4/3 days on and 3/4 days off and alternated nights and days monthly. 2 of them still lived in Scotland and went back whenever they had 4 days off. ( Living in Ireland at the time)
Just came off a 72hr week.. I'd take any of the above
and less pay
My pay doesn't even get much/any lower… pretty much bottom rung pay in my org.
What do you do?
bottom rung junior finance analyst,
Unfortunately not at westpac so can't afford a $80k high yield investment.
How much does a junior finance analyst rake in?
What do you analyze? Stock prices??
What firm? Or is that too sensitive to disclose?
In what city do you reside?
@Plebmuffin: Can you say Big 4 bank or professional services?
72 hr work week is nuts, was that due to financial year stuff?
@Ghost47: neither of those, but fortunately like you said, not normal every single week. About 1 month per year it ends up like that. between 60-70 odd hour weeks.
Same here. Different job, same thing though. Except I'm reasonably high level. I'd take half the salary and half the hours if it was actually limited to half the hours.
I'm happy with my arrangement - I work 5x7hrs. 3 of those daily hours I spend on Ozbargain
7-5 five days a week would be a good balance for some.
No problem with this approach, however companies are often getting 10 hours a day out of people for 5 days while paying for 40 hours and its been accepted for too long.
If you want to get paid by the hour, go full time instead of salary :D
Sounds like the public hospital
If I could I would work a 40-hour day.
Yes if those were my only two choices. I currently work 4 x 7hr days which is perfect for me.
I wouldn't mind a 4x7, as long as I was paid as though it was a 5x8 ;)
There is no real reason for companies to want to offer this, as they can get you to work 5x8 hours, and employees often have to put in extra time to catch up with work anyway. Which goes unpaid. But 4x10 would be really good if it was offered.
I rarely get out of the office at 5pm. The days are usually crazy, and I don't get the opportunity to work on substantive tasks until clients have gone home. Average week would likely be around 50 hours.
I'm not sure if I'd like to further consdense the time for work, as I usually also need clients to do work (not as much) on a similar timeframe, and even with the current arrangements it can be hard for them to meet internal deadlines.
I would love that but unfortunately not possible with my current job. I usually work 6 days :/
Only working 4 10 hour days sounds lovely. (part of the >40 hour week camp)
But yes in my experience I like working fewer but longer days. When I worked in Intensive Care, they were all 12.5 hour days. Sometimes you could do up to 7 of those in a row but then you'd get a whole week off. It was brilliant.
Yes, save one day rush hour traffic and probably can skip 4 days rush hour too.
I work 11 hour days, 6am to 5pm, on a 4 on/4 off roster, in a manufacturing/service environment. I love the 4 days off…the 4 on, not so much. We get paid overtime rates on weekends and also are entitled to 5 weeks annual leave per year. It works for me.
I already work more than 40 hours per week
Nurses work 12 hour shifts, 3 days a week.
I work exactly this arrangement, Monday - Thursday, 7am to 5pm. Means I get to spend every Friday with my 2yo & save 2hrs a week commuting (1hr each way a day).
The 10hrs a day + a 1hr commute each way kinda sucks, it means I leave the house @ 6am don't return until 6pm. Having every Friday off though is a pretty fair trade.
I am working Monday to Wednesday, 07:00 am to 07:00pm, long weekend every week Thursday to Sunday :)
Would be interesting to see what day others would take off. Someone suggested a rolling roster but I reckon Wednesday off would be perfect. Don't have to work more than two days in a row.
yes. 2 extra hours isn't that difficult to endure.
I clicked hell yes but i fall into the the 3rd response category….
I once did this as an experiment for a few weeks, to have my weeks with 6 x 28-hour days instead of 7 x 24-hour days. You start Wednesday morning as usual, but then keep a 28-hour daily cycle. By the time the weekend hits, your day-time is the same as everyone else's night-time, so you can party as hard as you like and still be super fresh. As a bonus, you can sleep 9+ hours per "night" instead of 8, and still get as much sleep per week as anyone else. The are only two down sides: 1) only about 20 of your work hours correspond with typical work hours of everyone else; 2) it's like changing from night shift to day shift and back every week.
I work 4x12hr days, then off 4 days. Don't think I could go back to 5 day/wk, tbh.
Already work 10 hours a day, why not do one less?
Would I? I do, and have for the last five years. I like it - not only do you get a three day weekend every week, but the time before everyone else gets in is very peaceful and productive!
Work is < 10 minutes on a bike, or ~20-25 on foot away, so I don't waste much time on the commute either.
A few years after I had our first child, I asked, totally expecting to be knocked back. Surprisingly, it was approved and did the 4*10 hours for a year. I work for one of the big4 banks so there is unpaid O/T involved, hence my surprise at being approved.
Move forward a few years to child #2, I am now doing 4 days a week (normal days) until the youngest starts pre school. 4*10 wouldn't work as I also have various drop offs and pick ups which need to be juggled.
Either way, having the extra day off (for both kids) has been one of the best things I've done and I acknowledge how privileged I am to have been able to do it. Many of my friends working in different industries are simply not able to do this due to lack of flexibility in their workplace.
It depends on the job and nature of the work. I have a 9 day fortnight. I would love a 8 day fortnight. But having that 3 day weekend means your just playing catch-up for half a day when you come back and sometimes it’s just not worth it.
4x10 is old skool.
No one does it anymore because, no one really has to do that anymore.
I wouldn't mind 4x10 but unfortunately I work in a small service department, and unlike project-style work it can't just be shuffled around on different days. The day the work is to be done is the day the customer arrives. If you close doors for a day, the work doesn't magically pop itself over onto the next day. It wouldn't be feasible for me unless we became a big busy business with extended operating hours.
Id prefer to do 1 x 40 hr day, then have the rest of the week off. Obviously Day 1 would be pretty hectic but the 6 days off following would be soothing.
Maybe outside earth. Earth only has 24hours of time
I would love that, i typically end up working 8 and a half hours a day but 3 days off a week would be awesome !
I've done this for several years. Work place is very flexible.
BUT: on any given night you can find me working from home also. So official hours and actual hours are completely different
Already do a minimum 5x10hr shifts. But the money's pretty good, so there's that.
Still better than my workmate that clocked a 90hr week once.
I work 13x6.
hell yeah
I've done 4x12, it's pretty good having that midweek day off to sort your life out. I'm all for it if it's a fairly dynamic job. Not sure how it would go for a desk job though, because sitting still and concentrating that long would be pretty hard.
Office work… its do able… just a lot of greys in your 30s… both men and women..
Related. I completely agree. Why everyone think u have to work 5 days. So random.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/employers-forced-to-…
I wonder how many have often called sick for 10hours shift. Probably End up doing 3x 10hours. 1x10hours sick day.
That means 4 days off. Nice!
Been working 80 hour/ 7 day weeks without taking a lunch break for a bit over a year now.
I do 10hrs x 4 days a week and it is fantastic. Still have time to do quick workouts after work and cook dinner.
I enjoy my days off and mentally switch off. Much happier than friends who work 5 days and dont feel the need to go on holidays or that work is such a drag.
I get 1 day for me time and 2 days for family and friends.
Have other friends who prefer working 5, 6 days at 6 hours a day. I think it's a bit crazy personally.
Would be amazing. Unfortunately my work is very deadline driven, with major hard deadlines multiple times through the week. Can't get away with less than 60-70hrs per week.
Used to do 4x10 at a factory around 10 years ago. Was bloody marvelous. back to 8x5 now. Would definitely go back.
rather look for a job with better pay
4 days sounds great to me. Used to work 13 hours a day 6 days a week.
Cant imagine it taking off private business wise since most people are pressured to walk 9-10 hrs already… by limited to 4 days they can't eek out more unpaid hrs
And watch the productivity die…
There is a reason why 9-5 is widely accepted
People have limited willpower
And I bet 90% people will find limit at 9-5
That being said who the (profanity) decided that we need to work
5days in a week? Why isn’t it the other way around?
We work the hours we do because of the 8 hour day movement of the 1800s. Since then automation has moved ahead significantly, I think it's the right time for trials around maximising productivity and free time.
because it use to be 6 days a week
Unplanned leave is one of the biggest pains and costs for businesses. Having employees work longer hours and have a day off during the week reduces unplanned leave considerably.
There are things people just need to do that can't be done on the weekend and chucking a sickie so that they can do this costs companies money in lost productivity.
The problem is that most businesses work around 9-5 because their stakeholders do the same. But teams that can adapt really should.
I work a two days and two nights (12 hour shifts) rotating shift, then have 4 days off. I have been doing this for 9 years although I've been with the company for 11. It's starting to take its toll on me, mainly because of the sleep pattern come the night shifts.
I enjoy the day off in the middle though. I've tried 4 days straight, but man do I miss that day off in the middle. It's awesome though because I can have a solid 4 days off.
I'm wanting to go back to a regular pattern mainly because I want to attend regular classes during weeknights.
I believe employers should allow flexible work hours and the ability to work from home if it's possible for their business.
I work in IT btw.
For the vast majority of my professional career 5 x 10 has been a 'normal' week.
4x10 hours are probably too much per day if you have kids. A mate of mine asked for a pay rise and the boss promised but slow to action. He then threaten to leave and asked to stay the same pay but work 3 days instead. He got it that’s indirectly 66.6% pay rise.
I don't think I could handle a 9-5 job and the commute during peak hour that goes with it. I'm self-employed now and find myself working late into the night and on weekends too, but the freedom of being able to do what I want, when I want would be very hard to give up. I definitely agree that a 4 day work week with flexible hours/option to work from home is the way to go, but it seems like most employers in Australia are set on office based work and extracting as much value from employees as they can, no wonder rates of mental illness and depression are so high.
40hrs? Yeah, I can just about remember my first part time job 😢
For sure if you can make it work with the rest of your life too.
Dont be afraid of day care though.
I know kids who arent in daycare who also get sick alot, anyone that doesnt isnt getting the same level of antibodies though.
The most important part is what he gets from daycare. We have a 17 month old HIGHLY active HIGHLY inquisitive boy that LOVES his 3 days a week at daycare, without it he would be bored and missing out on learning so many things.
I spend every spare moment of my life doing what i can to give him everything he needs, but we couldnt give him the input he wants and needs without the daycare.
Im not saying 40+ hours of daycare is good for a baby, obviously. But i know that my son would be doing much worse in all aspects if he didnt have his 15-20 hours a week.
Yes. I'm a Pm in public service as a contractor. Easily make more than that