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Working Moms
Anyone out there worked (or working) a 4X10 schedule?
I have been reading up on my company's Alternative Work Arrangements and they do offer a 4X10 schedule (at your manager's discretion, of course). I have talked to my boss briefly about it and to be honest, I don't even know if he'd approve it. But before I pursue it more, I want to make sure it's something I should even do! DH and I are still a bit torn if it would be what's best. I currently work a 7:30a-4:00p schedule, but because I work in the city, I leave my house at 6:15a and am lucky to be home by 5:30p. If I worked 4 10s, I'd have really long 4 days (leave the house before 6 and get home around 640) but that would give me an entire 3 full days a week to be home with the baby. That's also one less day of daycare, one less day of paying for the bus, one less day of driving to/from the bus stop, etc. DH is fine with the drop off and pick up of daycare.
For those of you that work/have worked 4 X10 work weeks, did you like it? Or were the long hours not worth it?
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Re: Anyone out there worked (or working) a 4X10 schedule?
I normally love the 4 day work week. It's an extra day at home with just me and C, I can get appointments out of the way without taking time off work, do laundry, etc.
The only downfall is during a slow day, that extra time at work really drags. But, I just remind myself when I'm tired on Tuesday or Wednesday that my work week 'wake-ups' are already half way over.
One thing to factor in is that for a while you probably won't see your LO much during your 4 work days.
I work a 9/80 schedule - every pay period it's eight 9-hr days, one 8-hr day, and one off day. My commute is shorter than yours, but on my long days I see my son for about an hour in the morning and 1-1.5 hours in the evenings because he sleeps from 7pm-6am (give or take). He's about 8 months old now.
I love our 3-day weekends so much and that extra Friday is such a joy to have, but it does come with a trade-off.
If you're not totally sold on it, think about asking for a 3-month trial to see if it really works for you and your manager at work and for you and your family at home.
BFP #2 5/27/12. EDD 2/1/13. m/c and D&C 6/21/12.
I have this option at my work as well, but wouldn't choose it. I have an hour commute each way so my day is long enough already. I don't have a choice now b/c I do drop/off and pick/up, but I honestly don't think I could handle it anyways. I feel like I would never see my DD. I like pp's suggestion of doing a trial period.
This. That's really the only thing I'm hesitant about - I really won't see him too much for those 4 days!
A 3-month trial is a good idea. If it would be approved, I would definitely bring that up!
I used to work four 10's but requested to go back to five 8's.
DS school only takes full-time so we paid for him to go anyway. I usually sent him half a day on my day off so that I could run errands and such without disrupting his day too much.
My schedule was:
6:15 leave the house (DS was usually still sleeping)
7:00 start work
5:30 leave work
6:15 Get home (missed DS dinner time)
7:00 DS goes to bed
7:15-10:00 play catch-up, clean, eat dinner, etc.
I got to see DS 45 minutes the entire day. It also left a lot of responsibility on DH which he handled well but I could see it was hard on him. After being home with DS for 4 months (from 5-9 months) then never seeing him, I felt like a horrible mom and was stretched too thin.
I switched to five 8's and really like it! DH is happier, I get more time with DS but our weekends are now spent running errands that I did on my day off before.
I work 3 twelves. my commute is much shorter now that we've moved. when I lived in ny, my commute was 45min and I didn't leave my borough. I would leave (then night shift) 6pm, get home after 8 am. it's a long day with little ones. but the days off are nice.
2 more hours, really isn't much longer in the day. but I would check the commute time at 5:30 vs when you leave now. it may be a longer commute home. may be shorter. ???
make sure you could have the set schedule and only pay 4 d/wk at daycare.
and see if you'd have the option to switch back to 8's easily later.
now that my kids are in school... I wish I could find a 7-3 job. it would be nice to be home with them after school every day.
and will it be worth it to your company? will you be as productive? or do you burn out towards the end of the day?
Before you factor in saving on a day of childcare, make sure your center/provider is OK with doing an altered schedule of care. Many will charge whether the child is there or not.
My office offers 4x10, and they require anyone with that schedule to take a 1-hour lunch. That makes for a REALLY long day; I decided to pass.
At my old job, we could work one week a month 4X10.
I found the days to be REALLY long and REALLY exhausting. I really wasn't a fan of it. Then add in having a child? I see DS for about an hour in the morning and for about 2 in the evening. Add 2 hours to my work day? I'll be lucky to get in an hour a day.
The 3 days off is awesome - no doubt. But I really don't know if 3 days in a row at the expense of pretty much not seeing him at all for 4 days would be worth it.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
I do a 9/90 with every other Monday off. The 4/10 is too long of a day and I didn't feel right leaving everything to DH 4 days each week.
You might consider a 9/80 and send your kid to daycare on the one day off. I do this and get a ton of stuff done - so we have our weekends relatively free.
Thanks everyone for the info. I really just need to sit down and see if the cons outweight the pros or vice vera. I can deal with the long days and my days fly by because I'm busy at work, but if I'm going to miss out on seeing DS for 4 days, I have to make sure that it's really worth it. And like PP said, I also don't want to put too much of a strain on DH. But, it would be QT they have together, and then I'll have my QT on the day that I have off if I end up having the option. I really won't know until I try, so I would want to mention to my boss that I'd like to try it out first (maybe even before maternity leave - if the days seem rough then, then they're going to be a lot harder once we add a baby to the mix).
Luckily, my mom is going to watch DS 2 days a week at our house, and our daycare does allow us to do part-time (minimum of 2 days a week), so if I do do 4x10s, it's workable with our childcare.
I work a 4 x 10 schedule (M,T, H, F) so I have Wednesdays off. I love it! I work 2 days, have 1 day off, work 2 days have a weekend. I really cherish my Wednesdays. It is a time to spend with my 2 babes. If I get laundry, etc done, then that is a perk, but I really focus on them. That way I can focus on the hubby when he his home.
A
www.AGraffDesigns.etsy.com
I worked 4x10 when I was pregnant, and I thought it would be so awesome to have 3 day weekends, to catch up on housework, have a day for appointments etc... but it really ended up being horrible for me. the 10.5hours away from home were horrible (10hrs plus 30 min lunch- required). i'd get home and just crash. i didn't have energy for cooking dinner, spending time with my hubby or anything. there's no way i would consider doing this now with my DD. Of course, 8.5 hours is too much time away right now, and i really struggle to find a work/life balance.
but, i know alot of people that have this schedule and just LOOOOVE it. so maybe a trial period would be best for you, to see how you personally feel about it.
Working 4X10 is mandatory at my company for 13 weeks every summer. Like pp have said I really like having the Friday's off, BUT to me it doesn't make up for everything I miss during the week. I get home and it is too late and/or I am too tired to cook dinner (DD has already eaten chicken nuggets or something else just as healthy
), do any of the housework or really spend time with DD or DH. I get home around 7pm and DD goes to bed at 8:30. That is all I see her during the week. Then if I have to run errands, go to an appointment or do housework on Friday that cuts into our time that day. Plus, we still have to pay for daycare. For me it is not worth it. I *might* like it if it wasn't mandantory week after week...it is just such a drain mentally and physically after a few weeks.
Also, it puts a LOT of strain on my DH to do all the dropping off and picking up of our DD. He basically can't work late for 13 weeks except on Friday's and who wants to do that?! He hates it! It looks good on paper, but I don't think it works in a real life with young kids.