Last Updated on March 16, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
The standard work schedule involves working 40 hours over the course of five days. Instead of forcing workers to have a rigid 9-5 or 8-5 schedule each day some companies employ another popular work schedule called 9/80 work schedule.
This working schedule is a total of 80 working hours divided over a period of 9 days which includes eight 9 hour work days and one 8 hours work day. This makes it possible for you to give your employees an entire day off every other week.
A 9/80 work schedule adds additional hours throughout a workday to increase productivity. This type of schedule involves long hours, but rewards employees with two guaranteed days off every month. To achieve this your employees will be working eight 9-hour days plus a single 8-hour day during two weeks. They will then get a day off at the end of the second workweek.
For the first week, employees work four nine-hour days, Monday through Thursday. On Friday they work for 8 hours. Four 9-hour days add up to 36 hours, so the first four Friday hours complete a 40-hour week.
That means the last four Friday hours start the clock for the following week. Working four more nine-hour days adds up to 40 hours—which means employees can take the second Friday off. Then the cycle starts again the following Monday.
While most businesses adhere to the typical 9-5 schedule, others find great benefits in a 9/80 work schedule. Let’s go through some pros and cons of 9/80 work schedule.
Pros of 8/90 Work Schedule
1. Improved Work/life Balance
A 9/80 schedule provides your workers with two additional off days every month. This gives them time to schedule appointments, conduct personal business, or take a vacation with family or friends. This extra time off allows more time for family activities, hobbies, travel and other pursuits. For the business, it means fewer requests for off-time and fewer no-shows.
2. Increases Productivity
Employees who works on a 9/80 schedule, enjoy more control over their work schedules. And people who have control over their work schedule become energized by the thought of having an extra day off.
Many employees see the additional day off as a well-earned reward. It might encourage them to work even harder throughout the week to achieve it. Working an extra hour a day means fewer tasks will need to be interrupted and picked back up the following day. That increase in energy, then, leads to higher levels of productivity.
3. More Flexibility
Although the 9/80 schedule works best when each worker has an assigned day off, there is some flexibility in choosing which day is taken. Companies can have hand of their workforce take a Friday off, while the others can take the Monday off to complete a three-day weekend opportunity.
If some workers want to take every other Wednesday off instead of having a 3-day weekend, then it’s also possible. So this work schedule helps organization to keep their teams fully staffed while providing flexibility to the employees.
4. Reduced/Easier Commuting
When employees who adopt 9/80 work schedule do not have the need to commute to work two extra days per month. They will also put fewer miles on their vehicles and spend less time stuck in traffic.
Employees adjust their schedules so they can avoid times of heavy traffic. There is an environmental benefit to consider with this alternative schedule. The additional two days free every month will mean about a 10 percent drop in gas usage for your staff members. It helps to save environment while saving a little money at the same time.
5. Active Employees
The two additional work-free days every month will help to ensure that employees do not so easily feel overworked. It gives employees more time to recuperate from the busy workweek. It will reduce stress levels and help them to arrive at work more refreshed, and more likely to perform well at work.
6. Better Recruitment Opportunities
Offering flexible schedules helps a company look more attractive to prospective workers. Offering flexible schedules helps a company look more attractive to prospective workers.
It is another benefit that prospective workers can consider when weighing the pros and cons of an open position with a company. For many of today’s best employees, the chance to maintain a good work/life balance is the leading factor when deciding on a new job opportunity.
Cons of 8/90 Work Schedule
1. Longer Workday
Even with the benefit of a day off, some employees struggle with the additional hour each day. They might feel there’s no longer enough time to relax at home after work. During the nine-hour days, employees may feel like they only have time to go home, eat dinner, and for other activities. This could negatively impact on morale and productivity.
2. Last Hour of a Day is Least Productive
Although that might be helpful to some workers, it is not helpful to others. Last hours in the office are always stressful. It is always seen that productivity levels decreases during the last hours on the work. Switching to a 9/80 schedule encourages less productivity since workers will be at the office more often when their energy levels are at their lowest.
3. Overtime Issues
Overtime always create issues both for employees as well as for employer. As employees accommodate themselves to the additional hour, they may have difficulty managing the work. Implementing a 9-hour workday will mean workers will either have to come in earlier or stay later.
This could cause conflicts with their commitments and might also cause schedule conflicts at work. If team members don’t strictly adhere to the unique work hours, it might decrease the productivity.
4. Not Suitable for Every Workplace
Some employees receive a lot of energy to be productive when the office is quiet. Then there are the workers who use that time to goof around if there is not proper supervision in place. That means productivity levels can go lower during these times because there is less supervision available.
When the office is quiet, and no one is around, it may be tempting for some workers to slack off during the extra hour they’re supposed to be working. Just because someone is present at the office doesn’t mean that they are maximizing their production.
5. Staffing Gap
For smaller companies with fewer employees, the 9/80 schedule is less effective because it creates the potential for a staffing gap. There may not be enough team members to cover all the shifts so your business can stay open during the extra days off each month.
One way to solve this issue is by allowing some employees to take Fridays off and others to take Monday off depending on their preferred choice. Still, there might not be enough employees on duty on the Friday/Monday when half the workers get their day off.
6. Problem Implementing New Working Hours
Letting your employees adjust their arrival and departure times can lead to overtime and other issues. Implementing a 9-hour workday will mean workers will either have to come in earlier or stay later. This could cause conflicts with their personnel commitments and might also cause schedule conflicts at work.
Conclusion
Some employees benefit from alternative schedules. Others prefer working something more traditional. There are no general right or wrong approaches to consider when looking at the 9/80 work schedule format.
It is up to each employee and their employer to determine what is the most beneficial approach to their needs. The best way to get started on a 9/80 work schedule is to first examine your corporate, business, and functional level strategies to see if it’s the best solution.
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