What Is A 9/80 Work Schedule?
As more businesses transition to a remote workforce, employees are looking for a schedule that allows them the perfect balance between a specified work schedule and the freedom to attend to personal commitments. That’s where the 9/80 work schedule comes in.
The 9/80 work schedule allows employees to work eight nine-hour days, one eight-hour day, and an extra day off spread over a period of two weeks. This allows businesses to provide employees with more freedom over their schedule without losing any work hours.
Continue reading for more information on how you can implement a 9/80 work schedule at your company.
What Is A 9/80 Work Schedule?
The 9/80 work schedule comprises working a total of eight nine-hour days, one eight-hour day, and one day off, all of which are spread out over the course of two workweeks.
In simpler terms, a 9/80 work schedule is one in which employees work 80 hours over the course of nine days (thus the name: 9 days/80 hours), as opposed to the typical 10 days (assuming a five-day workweek).
This means you get to provide your staff with a full day off every other week.
Normally, a 9/80 plan would have your workers put in 36 hours of nine-hour days, followed by an eight-hour day. When calculating payroll, the first half of an eight-hour workday is applied to the first week and the second half to the next week.
In total, that works out to 40 hours worked from Monday to Friday in the first week and 40 hours worked from Monday to Thursday in the second week (not including overtime).
After that, you will be able to give staff the entire second Friday off without causing them to lose any work hours.
9/80 Schedule Example
The 9/80 timetable can be implemented in a variety of different ways. The standard schedule calls for eight nine-hour days, one eight-hour day, and an additional day off every two weeks, usually on a Friday. This is how it would work out per working day:
1st Week
- Monday: 9 hours
- Tuesday: 9 hours
- Wednesday: 9 hours
- Thursday: 9 hours
- Friday: 8 hours
Total Hours Worked: 44
2nd Week
- Monday: 9 hours
- Tuesday: 9 hours
- Wednesday: 9 hours
- Thursday: 9 hours
- Friday: Off
Total Hours Worked: 36
The 9/80 work schedule example presented above is the most frequently used; however, some businesses prefer other variations of the schedule.
Any plan that consists of eight nine-hour workdays spread out over two weeks and totals 80 working hours during that time is considered a 9/80 schedule.
Some businesses, for instance, might decide to introduce a four-hour Friday every week. This would mean that employees would receive half-day Fridays rather than the three-day weekend that they would otherwise get every other week.
Does the 9/80 Schedule Have Any Benefits for the Company?
At first glance, you might conclude that the 9 to 8 work schedule is only beneficial for your employees. If you dig a little further, though, you’ll find that the 9 to 80 work plan has other advantages for your company as well. Let us explain how.
More Engaged Employees
Your employees will have every other Friday off if they work a typical 9 to 80 schedule, resulting in a total of 26 three-day weekends during the year. The additional time off will allow workers to do more of what they enjoy, such as relaxing, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
Taking a break from work might also help alleviate burnout.
Research by the American Psychological Association (APA) in its Work and Wellbeing Survey indicated that 3 out of 5 workers had stress at work. With a more balanced work schedule, workers are more likely to be actively involved in their work and have more time to relax and recharge.
Increased Productivity
A 9/80 schedule can also have a positive impact on productivity in the workplace. Employees will be able to plan their days more effectively and get more done with the additional day off at the conclusion of each two-week workweek because they have more say over their schedules.
The 9/80 schedule gives workers the opportunity to select how they want to spend their time, which helps them avoid feeling overwhelmed during the course of the day.
Higher Recruitment and Retention Rates
Traditional work hours are no longer effective in attracting and retaining top talent.
According to a 2022 Employee Benefits Survey, a significant majority of 79% of workers, particularly the younger generations, viewed flexible scheduling as an incredibly valuable perk. However, just 52% of SMB owners who participated in the poll actually offer it.
The 9/80 schedule is just one example of how flexible employee perks may help your business stand out from the competition and attract top talent. Before accepting a job, new candidates want to know that your business offers the best work-life balance and incentives available.
Higher Levels of Trust and Flexibility
The 9/80 timetable strikes a balance between the need for businesses to adhere to a predetermined schedule and the desire of employees to have more freedom to complete their work outside of the office at their own convenience.
In contrast to the typical 9 to 5 office workday, companies that provide compressed work schedules allow their employees to take care of personal matters outside of work, such as attending medical appointments or collecting children from school.
By allowing your employees to make decisions about their schedules, you make it clear that you have faith in their capacity to properly manage their time and provide them with a sense of ownership over their work-related responsibilities.
Shorter Commutes
Providing your employees with a flexible schedule can allow them to spend less time on the road while traveling to and from work. The longer workday gives them more leeway to come in earlier or stay later, allowing them to avoid rush-hour traffic and other stressful situations.
Your employees can also save time and gas money because they won’t have to get to and from work on their extra day off. Reducing commute times has multiple benefits: first, it helps the environment; second, it boosts morale because workers spend less time in their cars and less money on gas and other transportation costs.
Fewer Disruptions
With a 9/80 work schedule, employees will have more time to address personal responsibilities, which means they won’t have to interrupt their jobs in order to get things done. This will increase their engagement and, by extension, your company’s productivity.
Drawbacks of a 9/80 Work Schedule
Although there are many advantages to a 9/80 work schedule, there are also certain disadvantages that companies and workers should think about before making the switch.
Burnout
Employees who work a 9 to 8 schedule may face increased stress and exhaustion as a result of lengthier workdays. Working long hours can be difficult for anyone, but notably those who have families or other personal commitments.
The increased susceptibility to burnout could have a negative effect on productivity and the general health of employees.
Difficulties Facing Management
The implementation of a 9-to-8-o’clock work schedule may need additional administrative responsibilities and supervision by companies.
It can be a time-consuming process to ensure compliance with labor laws and maintain accurate documentation for timekeeping. Adjusting to the new setup might also make it harder to coordinate schedules and manage resources efficiently.
Collaboration with Customers and Partners
Companies that switch to a 9-to-8 work schedule may also have trouble communicating and collaborating with businesses that use more conventional business hours.
This may result in a breakdown in communication or a delay in responses, which may, in turn, cause delays in the completion of tasks and projects. Therefore, businesses should always be on the lookout for ways to improve their communication and collaboration with groups outside of their core staff.
Implementing a 9/80 Work Schedule
In this section, we will discuss five guidelines that can allow businesses to transition to a 9/80 schedule seamlessly.
Clarifying Your Goals
Before you make the decision, it is mandatory to make sure you have the entire team on board with you. One way to do this is by clarifying your goals and objectives. Here is how you can do so:
A. Establishing a Comprehensive Written Policy
As a business owner, you should prioritize having a well-defined work policy. It will help ensure that every employee is aware of the entire procedure, as well as the technicalities, precautions, and guidelines that must be followed while sticking to a compressed schedule.
B. Setting Up the Right Technology
Before you make this change, be sure you have the correct technology and services in place. This can be done by utilizing the appropriate work tools that provide employee management solutions like Wolfeye.
These tools help establish specific objectives, foster teamwork, and monitor output through various measurement methods such as productivity and time tracking.
C. Proactive Training and Communication
When implementing a new policy at the organizational level, it is essential to hold effective training sessions and establish proper communication guidelines. Ensure that the training covers all processes and rules in detail, without any space for confusion.
You can improve communication and networking by utilizing shared technological infrastructure. In addition, you should make it a habit of getting feedback from employees on a regular basis and addressing their problems in order to develop a constructive culture within the organization.
Consider the Impact on Clients
The two areas that are most affected by adopting a 9/80 schedule are output and client services.
When determining whether or not you can close your business operations for an extra day, you must consider important factors such as the nature of your business, market trends,, and any client commitments you may have.
This is a question that needs to be tackled head-on because it will have a significant impact on the success of your company. It will also establish whether or not a 9/80 timetable is a viable alternative.
Check the Laws
As soon as a business makes the transition to a 9 to 80 work schedule, it becomes mandatory for them to notify their employees and make adjustments to their weekly schedule in accordance with the local jurisdiction.
Specifically, businesses are required to develop a specified workweek and work protocol that is in accordance with the federal and state regulations governing overtime compensation, particularly the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Understand the Payroll Management
It is important to understand the payroll management involved in the 9/80 work schedule. For starters, you should start keeping track of work hours in two-week intervals, similar to the 9/80 compressed weekly schedule, so that you can make calculations more easily.
Take a Test Run
A trial run is the last phase in implementing the 9/80 schedule. The trial provides employees and management with sufficient time to get used to the new arrangement prior to its implementation. This will give the management the chance to assess the effect that the 9/80 work schedule has on the overall productivity of the organization.
This will also help eliminate any doubts you may have about whether or not the 9/80 work schedule is a viable alternative. Thus, you will be able to make a well-informed decision supported by real-time measurements.
How Wolfeye Can Help
Wolfeye is an effective employee monitoring and performance tracking tool that is utilized by both smaller and large businesses to monitor productivity and work hours. It gives managers the ability to set individualized work schedules for their staff members, allowing them to keep track of when they should be clocking in and out.
They can view the amount of time that employees spend working on their projects and assignments.
Conclusion
So, while a 9/80 schedule can have many benefits both for the employees and the business, it’s important to make sure you know how to implement it correctly. An employee monitoring software can help you do just that.