Mrs Fiddlesticks
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a mini downsize idea!Himself use to work freelance and finances permitting would try and award himself the summer off. With a regular job he can't do that now but we've come across the perfect solution!! Last year he had a month of Fridays off, and he's about to start that again this week. If your boss allows it I'd recommend it. it doesn't eek too much in to the annual holiday entitlement, only using up 4 or 5 days.
We seemed to get tons done with that one extra day. This week it'll be spent up the plot, leaving the weekend free for more relaxing, social things. It gives him a break from commuting, but its not too disruptive on his job as he's only out for one day as opposed to the whole week.
As an extra way of enjoying the summer sun give it a go!!
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Northern_Lad
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I did this over one Cristmas - took off a week, then 2 Fridays, the days between Christmas and new year and the following Friday and all of a sudden I hadn't worked a Friday for 6 weeks!
I'm thinking of doing something similar, but having every other Friday and Monday off. It gives a 4 day weekend every other week, and means I don't have to buy too many expensive day-return tickets.
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Bugs
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I prefer to take Mondays off, because they're busier, I get better value from my hols 
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Treacodactyl
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I've tried to go to a four day week but it almost cost me my job. 
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tahir
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I'm hoping to from 6 to 4 days a week when i get my new place
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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its not always possible to do this all the time, but it is a great boost to work a 4 day week for say a month. Could see the adantage of winter or summer, but we like to get out on to the plot or out in to the countryside so summer does it for us.
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boff
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I just asked my boss if i could do monday,wednesday,friday...
he said I already did!!
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judith
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I was supposed to cut down my hours when we moved to Wales. Instead, OH took voluntary redundancy and has been "retired" for the last nine months. Leaving me still working full time to pay the mortgage. Bah humbug!
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wellington womble
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One of the reasons I have chosen phsyio is becuase its dominated by women, and part time working is already very accepted. its common to work part time, and not uncommon to have a couple of part time jobs instead of one full time - for example part time clincial and part time research or academic (or, of course, just part time!)
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Blacksmith
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Have been working 7 days a week for the last 14 years, (well, Saturday off after my night shift)
Decided enough was enough, only 5 days now, found all these wonderfull things you can do ! Walks, bike rides with my kids, boot sales, Sunday lunch time pint after the allotment !
Dosn't exactly keep the door "wolf free" but hey, thats what downsizing is to me !
Dave
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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thats the thing isn't it Blacksmith, time to stop and enjoy it all.
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wellington womble
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I was chatting to a nurse the other day, who worked 3 twelve hour days a week. I said how fantastic that would be (might be different with kids or working hubby, i realise!) I know you're working 7 - 7, but there's no traffic at that time, and theres still time to eat and chill a bit in the evenings (especially if you were organised about your cooking) She said is was expensive, as there was nothing to do but go shopping! Oh, the opportunities people waste! I could have throttled her!
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ButteryHOLsomeness
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| Fiddlesticks Julie wrote: | | thats the thing isn't it Blacksmith, time to stop and enjoy it all. |
this discussion reminds me of 'Anthony's Song' by Billy Joel
in particular
'..Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat
At night he becomes a bartender
He works at Mister Cacciatore's down
On Sullivan Street
Across from the medical centre
He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac
You oughta know by now
And if he can't drive
With a broken back
At least he can polish the fenders
It seems such a waste of time
If that's what it's all about
If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out...'
maybe that should be our downsizer theme song
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ButteryHOLsomeness
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if i could handle working for 12 hours straight (would depend on the type of job) then I'd much prefer 3 12 hour shifts a week. run them all together and have 4 days off in a row each week... heaven! 
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Haddock
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I work 12 hour shifts. 4 on 4 off. Its a great system. Concentrate the work into 4 days, and then have 4 days off. It really does give time to relax, have time for my kid, the garden, go for walks, have a hangover etc
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jema
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| Haddock wrote: | | I work 12 hour shifts. 4 on 4 off. Its a great system. Concentrate the work into 4 days, and then have 4 days off. It really does give time to relax, have time for my kid, the garden, go for walks, have a hangover etc |
there is a lot to be said for that, I think for a lot of people it is very hard having done a 10 hour or so day counting the commuting, to do much more than the bare essentials when they get home.
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Nanny
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downsizer idealas my husband and i work flexi time we take friday off every month without touching our annual leave and i agree that you can get a lot done in just the one extra day.....taking mondays off just isn't the same some how, has to be a friday for us
in the ops room a lot of the staff work 2 x12 hours days followed by 2 x12 hour nights. as the shifts are 7-7's they get 24 hours off in the middle as well and it's followed by 4 days off.
those that do it by and large wouldn't want to do anything else although the management don't much like it because there is no resilience for sickness ie: if the staff work 8 hours shifts, you can ask someone to stay on for another 4 hours to help out the next shift but not if the staff are on 12's.
so there is overtime as well. personally i wouldn't want to do it as 12 hours just isn't me but for those that want to it's a great system.
however if the eec enforce the only 48 hours a week thing, the room here won't be able to function as most shifts need at least 1 person in on ovies each time. as everybody is already doing 48 and overtime will push them above that, there will be no scope for them to do anymore
be interesting to see what occurs.............
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oldhibberd
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Hmm. I have a mixed view of the 4 on 4 off system. I do 8-6 on days and 6-8 on nights (14 hours is too much). First of four days off too tired to do much. And since the staff turnover is so high, we are continually being asked to cover shifts on our days off. It's also well documented that night shifts are not good for ones health
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Haddock
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| oldhibberd wrote: | | It's also well documented that night shifts are not good for ones health |
I work nights as well, and definately agree with the above statement. I've worked various shift patterns for over 20 years now, and I am finding it harder as the years pass by.
Personally I prefer the 4 on 4 off as it maximises the ammount of free time I get. I would prefer to be tired at home than full of energy at work  . My days are long though - including commutting, my round trip is approx 16 hours
But.......my worst nightmare would be to have to work 9 -5 Mon til Fri...........give me shift anyday.
A tired but happy Haddock.
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jema
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| Haddock wrote: | | oldhibberd wrote: | | It's also well documented that night shifts are not good for ones health |
I work nights as well, and definately agree with the above statement. I've worked various shift patterns for over 20 years now, and I am finding it harder as the years pass by.
Personally I prefer the 4 on 4 off as it maximises the ammount of free time I get. I would prefer to be tired at home than full of energy at work . My days are long though - including commutting, my round trip is approx 16 hours
But.......my worst nightmare would be to have to work 9 -5 Mon til Fri...........give me shift anyday.
A tired but happy Haddock. |
I think a lot of it is down to personal body clock and how you eat drink sleep around the shifts.
I used to alternate 6am-2pm shifts one week 2pm-10pm shifts the next.
The early shifts I found killing in terms of being continually knackered outside of work, probably because I tried to deal with this by having a kip in the afternoon 
Later in life I used to start as early and get back later, without suffering the same degree of exaustion.
But in general shift work done by millions is stressfull on the system, and yet seems to get less attention payed to it than jet lag.
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Nanny
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mini downsizei agree with both of you ...i couldn't do the shift work, it would kill me and we are always looking for people on overtime because as i said there is no resilience.
but the people who do the shifts wouldn't now want to do anything else because of the free time available to them.
the other plus is their annual leave ...........
if they take one set of 4 as annual leave in effect they are getting 12 days off - 4 rest days, 4 annual leave days, 4 rest days
that's a good deal in anybody's book
the problem we have here is that because of the amount of rest days they are owed due to bank holidays and extra days they work etc, a lot of people find it difficult to get all the leave in as there are only 2 people allowed off at any one time.
so you can end up at the end of the annual leave year (31st march) with more than5 days left to take and no time to take it in
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Blacksmith
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I've been on 3 shifts since 1990. 6-2, 2-10. 10-6,
5 1/2 hours on Friday (37 1/2 hrs) 12 hour days/nights 6-6 for holiday, sickness cover, Weekend overtime 6-2.( Only time machines are stopped )
New shift for today, nightshift, on at 14.00 finish 19.30 ! Woooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooo !
Dave
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Haddock
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Re: mini downsize | Nanny wrote: | if they take one set of 4 as annual leave in effect they are getting 12 days off - 4 rest days, 4 annual leave days, 4 rest days
that's a good deal in anybody's book |
That's the bit I love
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sally_in_wales
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I had a bit of a 'moment' last year and demanded to reduce my hours by 3 days a month. May not sound much over a month but it means that I get 3 day weekends 3 times a month (we rarely work mondays anyway in our museum so the odd day is a weekend day when things get busy). Hardly dented the income once the annual pay adjustment had rolled round and I feel so much more human- though I still fill every day with my other jobs, the small business, the writing, the research and the re-enactment. Laterly the garden too but that is a pleasure. So I still work every hour going but proportionately less is the 'day job'. Would recomment it to anyone, plus I save 3 days commuting a month.
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