# four or five day work/school week



## ship (Jul 1, 2008)

Would you rather if in work terms for a normal 40 hour week - what ever that is... a four or five day work week? 

Assuming more tired and much of the week with over time not having any life at any part in the week but an extra day off. Or a work week giving as a goal at least two days off normally at least, and often if 40 hours is the goal enough night to do what you want after work?


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## len (Jul 1, 2008)

Being self-employed and doing 50+% of my work from home, I never really leave work, since my income is derived from my effort.


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## jwl868 (Jul 1, 2008)

When I first saw this post, I thought it was related to reducing commuting. Another alternative would be 9 working days over each two-week period, with each working day at 9 hours [and one of 8].

There’s decades of labor tradition on the 40-hour workweek, though a lot of those jobs are long gone. US life pretty much revolves around the two-day weekend with a 40-day work week on each end.

Some jobs are conducive to 4-working day weeks and some aren’t. (Face it, some jobs are 6- and 7-working days per week.)

For me (and note that my vocation is not in theatre) the 5-day week works best, though I think we’re leaning toward a 9-days-in-two-weeks schedule.

Joe


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## TheSlowPoisoner (Jul 1, 2008)

Myself, I figure I'd prefer the 4 days on, three days off method, although I don't think I ever had as little as forty hours of strictly tech work and got all I wanted done. While I was in school, I was working about 60-65 hours a week and still had to go to five other classes every weekday (That's 12-8 or 9 allowing for an hour or so of goofing off on the weekdays and 10-12 hours on a weekend, allowing for breaks and a bit of goofing of there as well). Anyway, the four-day system appeals to me more because whenever I work for 8 hours a day, I always feel like I should have stayed longer, got more things done, and I actually love the exhausted feeling of overworking. Also, if you feel the need to spend a whole day working on one particular project, something that doesn't lend itself to stopping in the middle, you don't have to feel so stressed that you might not finish it--although I do find myself occasionally spreading myself too thin sometimes when I have that amount of time.  The days off are also more enjoyable, in my opinion; even when you have two days off in a row, I'm sure many people on this board have felt as if they slept all of their time off away--three days would give you time for both rest AND recuperation.


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## lieperjp (Jul 1, 2008)

As a student and a future teacher... four days a week would be wonderful. I don't know if young kids could do it, but high school could... some colleges already are!!!


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## Footer (Jul 1, 2008)

I just want to get out of the 13 day work week....


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## rosebudld (Jul 1, 2008)

Being as how my schedule is very show dependant, I'd ideally love to do four days at ten hours each.. however, the old brain gets a little tired of just straight desk work, so I enjoy the long 14 hour plus show days because then I get to take the desk job a little bit lighter that week..


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## Thefoxygranpa (Jul 2, 2008)

I seem to be going six days a week, at least 8hour a day. There never seems to be enough hours in the day...


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## ship (Jul 3, 2008)

These days or for the last like eight or nine years I’m salary staff out of choice in as per older preferences be it school or the store front theater world, this is my chosen profession and my enjoyment is in getting it done without having to worry about the clock. These days I have a crew of people under me and often at quitting time, given my department can for the most part run itself or I will get a phone call, I try as much as possible to take my work home. Can make noise and spray painting smells there without offending anyone else and I’m home so it is TV on and food etc. how I want it - completely different atmosphere. At home I get work done, at work every 15min on a normal day, someone interrupts me with some need or request. Got ten adaptors done in 2.5 hours last night, today at work the other ten in six hours as an example. Once home, I’m home and happy no matter if working on project for work or project for home, the same to me, in the guy zone work shop I set up thats’ for the most part as well equipped as the shop - a few things such as a brand new 1/16" to ½" plate punch, the Green Lee punch kit - what I don’t bring home of it at least, especially the Edison punch and the 65# anvil I don’t have at home, but for the most part all that’s at the shop is also at home. 



Love the work/field, don’t matter in the end for me if work or home it’s all the stuff I love doing.

For me, that’s my life and while I would and when taking an actual weekend, Sunday always comes too soon, not sure if I really have real weekends or if while a four day work week week seems nice in me working those many hours per day already anyway, that I can see such a concept helping me.


IN the end, for me, I suppose I would think those that prefer five days a week people having a few hours of “me” time and two days on a weekend would be for one sort of person. Personally when working shows, I more preferred working a four day week in having a day for grocerys and laundry, and two days of weekend - not that I took full advantage of it beyond sleeping in and or study and reading. Didn’t go out much in those days because I socialized all week long. Disadvantages I would think on the four day week is that for four days, by the time you get home its too late to be your self beyond getting ready for the next day. This especially with overtime that’s normal. Problem with the five day week also with over time that’s normal, it I think more screws up your social schedule when not having an extra day off at least normally or at least one day during the work week when you won’t need to stay late when working extra time. On the other hand if normal for a 40 hour week, it’s amazing the life you can have in like the three or four hours of freedom you can have per night after work. And in being social, one often needs more than three nights a week to socialize before having to switch off the friends for the rest of the week. 

Fascinating for me this four or five day concept especially given the frowns my fiancee gives me when I tell her of my current work schedule that as a given means I’m going to be working a lot of hours and that ain’t so healthy for us. This also if I get to take work home and she is stuck at work. Much less once she gets home, I’m still at work even if home.


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## soundman (Jul 3, 2008)

In my eyes the salary verse hourly debate is a whole different can of worms. The last two summers when I was working summer stock we were housed with in eyesight of the theaters and paid salary so instead of bringing work home we would just go back to work. Can't sleep go prep some cables to be wired or get some counts to prep for the next day. During the build working hourly would have been more profitable. Once we got into runs we got the same the same rate and the average of the two along with the hours was better than fair but the people that left after opening missed out on the 'easy' money. 

I like the idea of an 8 hour day because I find that even with an extra day off tens burn me out quicker.


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## RichMoore (Jul 25, 2008)

In our goofy and extraordinary industry, it seems that often times there are just not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that needs to be done. 

In my current situation, where I work at a university as the Technical Coordinator in a performing arts center, which is a performance platform designed for live acoustical music performances, I put in a 5 day 40 hour week. I have NEVER BEFORE had a job in this industry that required me to work only 40 hours in a week. This is obviously a sweet job and there are lots of folks around who cannot wait for me to retire in a year or two, so they can apply for my gig.

I have done some 10 hour 4 day weeks this summer and absolutely loved it. I pitched the idea to my boss that I continue with the 4 day week during the school year and was met with an unenthusiastic response. It seems that she doesn't like the idea of me having so much time off.

An example: We are the home for the local symphonic orchestra, which is pretty good by the way, and they come into the hall to set up on Wednesday, rehearse on Thursday and Friday and perform on Saturday, so those would be my 4 days for that week. Now if I had worked Monday thru Thursday the week before, I would have had 5 days off before the symphony came in on that Wednesday. 

"There would be too many 3 day weekends and I would have way too much time to play on my boat and the other staff members would get jealous because I am gone so much and who would baby sit the building when nothing was happening on stage and on....and on....and on." So, I think that the odds of me getting to work a 4 day week are pretty slim, although I would love it.

There have been times in my 40+ years in the entertainment industry where I have worked 6 and 7 days a week for 10 to 20 hours a day, with some days lasting upwards of 30 hours, but for me those days are past and history. I know that some of you folks have, do or will work those kinds of hours in your careers and you will do it for the same reason that I did. Not for the money and not for the glory but for the simple fact that you love what you do.

We participate in a profession which predates Herodotus. It is a rare and unusual trade which we ply and we are a rare and unusual breed of people. Do what you love and love what you do, because time and life pass much too quickly.

Rich Moore


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## Spikesgirl (Jul 26, 2008)

I used to work a five-day/40 hour work week (or at least we tried), but now that I live a block from my theater, I never really tend to leave. Even when I'm not working, I'm on call because I'm the closest (and most cross trained) staff member. it also helps(?) to not have much of a life outside of theater and am usually available. So, I had to vote with the 'I never really leave' option.


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## len (Jul 26, 2008)

I just ran into a guy who works 14 straight and 7 off, then 16 straight and 5 off. 

My old girlfriend's father use to work 1st shift 8 straight days, then 3 off, then 2nd shift 8 days, then 3 off, then 3rd shift, etc.

If I were to work for someone else again, hours would depend on where the job was. I used to work 3 - 11 5 days a week downtown Chicago. I'd stay out until the bars closed every night and still make it to work. Oh, the good old days. But in the suburbs, I'd rather work 4 x 10 or something so the commute wouldn't be as big a chunk of my time.


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## ship (Jul 27, 2008)

So I'm thinking that there is for the most part a difference in profession and or job verses of them what is required.

My record... Show up on Thursday morning at 8:30 AM and not leave the building until Sunday some time well after noon. Though I did get a few like half hour naps between days at times when possible. Great advancement this concept of taking my work home in being company phone so if anyone needs me... etc. type thing anyway and otherwise just getting away and accomplishing stuff. Currently my only goal of the past week was inspecting used moving light lamps. Got like 40 a day with a few hundred left to inspect. This in eight hours with constant inturrputions and stuff to buy and or people to speak to during the day. At night, used to be that was an easy night in being there all alone to get done in like four hours. Working on that part of the 'going home' experience, this further link of the home computer to that shop as similr to that of work. Soon, just take home the lamps and get them home at night instead of during the day or having to stay late. Each lamp has to be inspected for re-use, trash or return, and each has to be analized as to what caused its demise or what its problems are in defending trashing it. Takes a few minutes to define all the potential problems even with a lamp at over 2,300 hours yet only rated for 750 hours. Than list on the computer what lamp this old one was replaced with in the fixture etc. Five minute per lamp process when left alone, a few hundred per month.

Again, for me, it really strikes me as my career and fun this between learning lamps - lookiong at a blown lamp and figuring out what caused it to fail, or just deciding if a lamp is worth re-testing in another fixture or trash etc, and learning stuff about them. This or in making gear for use on shows, fun stuff both at work and home. Take home the rack, or work on it at work, all the same to me no matter if working on flower boxes or some new lighting fixture.

Listening to a report on NPR today about childrens play, than later stress levels both by way of health and living long. Me, stress in always playing even if paid for it... don't matter for me amount of hours worked thus.

Still fascinating the balance between the "I never leave work really, what's it matter what the world has as a goal? " and "Ten hour days four days a week "

Dependant upon what stage of my career I was in and where I worked in doing what I do, both for me would be my choices also dependant on where I worked. Very interesting over the 9:5 40 hour a week lifestyle even my fiencee would choose in it being more her job than career at this point even if job for her was of field interest in choosing it much similar to but not the same as career.


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## cdub260 (Aug 16, 2008)

My schedule changes depending on what time of the year it is, so I really never get into a schedule rut. Right now I'm on my summer schedule, which means I'm down at the pageant 7 nights a week running my part of the show. I come in during the day on an as needed basis. My typical work week at this time of the year is 40 to 50 hours. My last day off was July 6th, and I expect my next day off will be September 6th. Would I change this? No way! I love what I do for a living and would hate to have to go get a "real" job just so I could have a little more time off.


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## ship (Aug 23, 2008)

len said:


> Oh, the good old days.



Thus the concept but on the other hand... Yep, oh the good old days... 

For those that don't understand yet, bad stuff lessens such as having money to eat at times in memory sort of dulling out the sharp edges with time... but on the other hand what a life lived when still able to burn the candle from both ends. Live it, learn it, its your chance. Set the world on fire while you can.


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## philhaney (Aug 28, 2008)

My theatrical job consists of 55-ish evenings in a row during July and August for three or four hours, and I love it.

My present day job is almost make-my-own-schedule, I usually put in about 50 hours/week (except during the summer when I also have my theatrical position), and it's ok.

But if I had a day job with a set schedule, I think I would prefer a 4-day, 10-hour day schedule over a five-day, 8-hour day one.


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