As a parent, would you work this schedule if you could? The idea is being tossed around DH's work as an option for a few people, so I've just been thinking about it.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 7am-7:30pm. Monday-Thursday off. Paid for full 40 hours. Current hours are 7am-3:30pm M-F.
I think it would really take away from weekends and would make for long days parenting alone, but 4 days off would be great, too.
squash / 13208 posts
no way - I would never see friends or family since they all still work the typical 9-5 M-F
Once the kids are school age it would be an even bigger no!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
That would be a hard no for us since we both work. And I work a typical M-F schedule. It would mean zero family time. DH used to work weekends a lot and the trade off was he had one midweek day off that DD stayed home with him. I know he misses those daddy/daughter days. But not having family time really sucks.
But if One of us were a SAHP and the kids weren't in school yet? Then yes. The weekends are just days in that case and doesn't matter.
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
Nope! I spent enough time working weekends in retail and restaurants for one lifetime.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
For us, no because I WOH so we literally will never have family time together. And this really only helps if kids aren't in daycare/school...
eggplant / 11861 posts
Not in our family ad I work M-F so we would NEVER see each other!
honeydew / 7917 posts
The 4 days off is tempting, and I would probably prefer that if I were single and didn't have a family. My FIL works 12 hour shifts, and his schedule changes often. Sometimes he gets up to 2 weeks off before he starts back up again. There are times when he just goes home to sleep, eat, and then pack up for work again.
persimmon / 1483 posts
@Bao: it's sounds so tempting because we could save so much on child care, but ultimately no because it takes away any whole family time.
grapefruit / 4717 posts
No way! I work one weekend day every 3 weeks or so, and it's already hard enough because I miss family time. Can't imagine more.
eggplant / 11824 posts
If it was single and had no friends or family, maybe. Otherwise, hell no.
cherry / 174 posts
Nope. I would miss out on all of the social time we spend with friends and family.
BUT - I *will* say this - if y'all are looking to save for a house/car/another baby, etc., or you're looking to pay off some loans/credit cards, this would be perfect. You'd only have to find childcare for one day a week - it would save us SO much money! But it would have to be a temporary solution. Like, I'd have to know that once we had saved up enough, or paid things off, I could go back to working regular hours.
apricot / 485 posts
I wouldn't. Unless I had to because I couldn't pay for daycare or something and had to figure out a way to make it work with both parents working. If you were a SAHM it might not be as big of a deal though but then I'd have to go back to a normal schedule once the kids were in school. Still don't think I'd opt for it though.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
No way! You no longer have your weekends with your family. Kids go to school on the weekdays, when would you see them?
apricot / 483 posts
Haha well DH basically works that schedule not by choice, but more like 10-12 hr shifts 6 days a week. Sometimes good hours, sometimes overnights. If it was a choice? No, not unless I wasn't working as well. At least we only have 2 more years of this...
pear / 1961 posts
As with all things, it depends! Since I SAH, it wouldn't really affect our family time (we might even have more), at least with kids that aren't currently in school. And if you have lots of family around, you could probably spend a lot of weekend time doing extended-family stuff while DH works.
But I think there would be lots of downsides, especially if both parents work, kids are in regular school, you don't have local family, etc. It would probably end up just being a lot of solo parenting shifts and/or minimal full family time.
honeydew / 7622 posts
It's the same idea as police/firefighter/hospital hours. Since I SAH it would work for us, but only until T is in school I think. I would strongly consider it. I'd love the chance to travel all the time. DH is kind of on call 24/7/365 and works long hours and travels most weeks so that is the main reason this sounds appealing.
apricot / 483 posts
@youboots: agreed. I'm looking forward to that post-residency - when I can maybe SAH and he can basically pick whatever shifts he works at the hospital. That could theoretically be 16 days straight one month, and the rest of the month off so we could travel or do whatever we wanted.
clementine / 756 posts
Probably not. Maybe if the other parent wasn't working or could somehow also have days off midweek (and find childcare on weekends...).
However, I might be interested, if it was possible to have a mixed schedule where you had this schedule, say, half the time, and a regular schedule half the time. Currently, my husband works one weekend per month and it's actually kind of nice because that means he gets two midweek days off per month that we can use for appointments, projects or just daddy/son time.
grapefruit / 4045 posts
My husband works a similar schedule and it has worked out just fine for us for years. What it helps with is childcare. We do not want to use outside childcare, so its nice that he will be home to watch the baby on weekdays when I am working. We are very independent people so this schedule has worked nice for us without a baby thus far. I really really value any moments that I get to be with my husband, though. @Bao: do you work outside of home, or stay at home? If you are at home, then you don't have to worry about the true "weekend" issue. You will have your husband home with you monday - thursday and I think that's amazing. Best of luck with whatever you decide!
grapefruit / 4988 posts
Definitely not. Maybe if I were single and childless, or if my partner had the same schedule.
My BIL used to have a schedule that was somewhat like that (plus occasional working on holidays), but I think it was only every other week, so at least he was around on some weekends with his kids.
nectarine / 2521 posts
Well, that's been my husband's schedule since we were married 9 years ago (he's a pilot). It's been pretty great since having our LO, but probably only because I only work 2 days a week and LO isn't in school, so we get in lots of family time. And oh yeah, most of our friends are also pilots so they have similar schedules.
Without those benefits listed above, probably not the best schedule for most families unless you were able to somehow rearrange schedules to maximize family time together.
pomelo / 5791 posts
Absolutely not.
If only 1 of us were working, that'd be one thing. But since we both work, that would never happen - we'd never see one another.
pear / 1642 posts
I've worked this same schedule for the past year, and there are definitely pros and cons. It's been great for childcare as others have pointed out. I loved having 4 days off a week, but those three days on are tough because of dd1s schedule, I left the house before she woke up and came home just after bedtime, so I went a solid 3 days each week without laying eyes on my daughter. That sucked, also my family and friends work normal m-f hours so I missed out on a lot of activities/church/birthday parties/weekend parents night outs, etc.
I've since taken a m-f job and even though it means my kids have to be in childcare, I'm welcoming a regular schedule and social life!
nectarine / 2018 posts
DH works Wednesday-Sunday and I stay home. It has it's pros and cons. DD is only 18 months so no school schedule to worry about yet. On an average week it's not a big deal - in fact it's nice that on our family days most places aren't as crowded. The hardest part is when there are weekend events we all want to go to DH has to use a vacation day. Currently we live far from family so most of his vacation days are used just to visit them. He has to be very picky about what events he goes to. I'm not sure what will happen once DD is school age but we'll deal with that when it comes.
coffee bean / 38 posts
it would work for us since our weekends are sunday-tuesday, DH and I both work 4 days and are off 3 days
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
NOPE! I feel like our social life would take a huge hit since most people are available on weekends.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
Only if it meant that the days changed up, meaning that there was an opportunity to be off on the weekends in that block schedule.
cherry / 148 posts
@Bao: I must be the only person who LOVES this schedule. Days off during weekdays mean no or less lines ANYWHERE you go, be it amusement parks or Target. Less time wasted doing things you need or want to do. But I hate crowds with a passion, you may not mind as much. Time off during the week gives way more flexibility for doc or any kind of business hour type appts. Avoiding rush hour traffic both ends of the workday. And working only three days a week sound perfect to me.
Biggest drawback would be not having the weekends off like most of your family and friends, but to me personally that would be way lower on the priority list than the other things I value (above.)
grapefruit / 4649 posts
I stay at home so if my husband had this option I'd be thrilled. I think it would make PTO difficult or frustrating though. Like this weekend he took off Friday because we had to travel for his brother's wedding but with that schedule it would be basically a week's worth of PTO. We have two other long weekends planned soon with family that would bring up the same problem. If he could just swap back to the old schedule from time to time then we'd be all in!
pomegranate / 3113 posts
I'd consider it. DH doesn't have a 9-5 schedule and works part of most weekends, so we never get to go away for the weekend and I'm often left solo parenting at least one of the days. We'd have to get a nanny for Fri-Sun but we'd actually get significantly more family time with that kind of schedule. Once DD was in school, though, I'd say absolutely not -- I'd never have a full day with her if I worked weekends at that point.
persimmon / 1101 posts
Ah, our would be tempting (only one day of daycare!) but I couldn't do it because weekends are our family time.
nectarine / 2821 posts
@Bao: my schedule is similar! I work every Friday Saturday and Sunday. Except, 3pm-11pm. I do it by choice for 4 days off in a row and less childcare. Do I want to do it forever, no, but for now it works for me and my family. I think it's more doable because I have the mornings off.
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
No way! It seems most stuff happens on the weekends so I would feel like I was missing everything.
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43 comments