Get Started with 9/80 Work Schedule: How It Works, Advantages and Challenges

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” —Steve Garvey

The best work schedules strike a balance between getting things done and giving employees as much time off as possible. This, in turn, increases customer happiness and work-life balance, resulting in increased engagement, loyalty and productivity to mention a few advantages.

Employees desire the freedom to do errands, conduct housework, and spend more time with their loved ones.

Many individuals work the traditional workweek pattern of five 8-hour days for a conventional 40-hour workweek. A flexible schedule may, however, be more suitable for your organization based on its nature. The 9/80 work schedule is one of them.

What is the 9/80 Work Schedule?

The “9/80 work schedule” is a 2-week compressed work plan that consists of eight 9-hour days, one 8-hour day, and one day off. Employees often work four 9-hour days followed by an 8-hour workday divided into two 4-hour sessions under a conventional 9/80 arrangement.

With the 9/80 schedule, your employees will still work 80 hours over two weeks, but there will only be 9 working days instead of 10. This allows you to offer them a full day off every other week.

Over the course of a two-week period, your staff will work eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day each. After that, they will have a day off at the conclusion of the second workweek.

For week one, your employees can work nine hours each day from Monday to Thursday. They only work eight hours on Fridays. They will work 9 hours a day, Monday through Thursday, throughout week two. That takes their total over the two weeks to 80 hours, allowing them to have Friday off.

Origin of 9/80 Work Schedule

During the 1920s, the nine-to-five work schedule became popular, giving Americans a completely new perspective on work.

As a result of its benefits and challenges, the regular work schedule gradually spread around the globe. Since there are so many work schedule options available today, people consider nine-to-five work hours obsolete.

Many employers now give their employees workweek schedule choices, like the 9/80 work plan. According to most employees, the best work schedule allows them to take as many vacation days as possible.

How does a Typical 9/80 Schedule Look?

The 9/80 work schedule does not need to be the exact breakdown, but it is the most common.

Here is a sample of what the 9/80 Schedule would look like:

First week:

Monday: 9 hours
Tuesday: 9 hours
Wednesday: 9 hours
Thursday: 9 hours
Friday: 8 hours { (4 hours: end of the first week) + (4 hours: start of the second week) }

Second week:

Monday: 9 hours
Tuesday: 9 hours
Wednesday: 9 hours
Thursday: 9 hours
Friday: Workday off

Advantages of 9/80 Work Schedule

A 9/80 work schedule is advantageous to both employers and employees. Rather than enforcing a traditional 9-5 work schedule, employers can try out something new. There are many advantages to a 9/80 schedule, including the following:

1. Keeping a work-life balance

More flexibility and time away from the office will help employees achieve a better work-life balance. An employee survey by Cornerstone found that 87% of respondents believed that long vacations were better for relieving stress than three-day weekends.

In addition to getting 26 three-day weekends per year, employees will have off-days every other Friday. This might imply:

Spending more time relaxing the mind and body
Without using vacation time, taking brief trips away
Spend regular days off shopping, visiting the bank, and attending doctor’s appointments instead of overloaded weekends.

2. Increased Productivity

Many employees regard the extra day off as a well-deserved incentive. It may motivate them to work even harder during the week to meet the goal. As a result, the prolonged weekend can boost morale, providing staff with a more optimistic attitude toward their responsibilities.

Employers who follow this timetable may see fewer sick days and vacation requests.

Learn About: Steps to Create an Effective Productivity Plan

3. Increase recruitment and retention

Businesses that rigorously adhere to traditional work arrangements and timetables are having difficulty recruiting and retaining employees.

EY polled 16,000 employees from a variety of sectors and occupations in 16 countries. Nine out of ten employees want flexible working hours and 93% want shorter workweeks.

Flexible work schedules like the 9/80 schedule are proving to be effective recruiting strategies. Allowing firms to recruit larger applicant pools and the best available personnel.

Learn More: Follow These Strategies To Increase Employee Retention

4. More Flexibility

Having a weekday free allows you to do errands or duties that are simpler to complete during the week. Attending appointments with primary care providers or government agencies that are only open during the week is one example.

Parents may also be able to attend school-based events during the week this way. Using a 9/80 work plan allows businesses to be more flexible.

5. Reduced Commuting

Longer work days and an extra day at home equal two days less commuting each month. One of the benefits is the cost savings for employees who rely on public transportation to get to work. However, it also means extra time at home to conduct errands, spend time with family, or relax.

6. Better Rest

With an additional two days off per month, your staff can recover from the hectic workweek. The following Monday, they’ll be recharged and ready to go.

What Are the Potential Challenges of a 9/80 Work Schedule?

Employee motivation can be affected by the 9/80 schedule and payroll time tracking can be problematic. There are several common challenges. Here are a few of them.

1. Extensive working hours

Every employee is unique. Many people can go through a long workday without incident. In the evenings, they have time to themselves while still staying motivated at work.

The extra hour might lead to lethargy and decreased productivity for some employees, however. There are several challenges involved in this:

The new 9/80 schedule was initially difficult for employees to adjust to.
Personnel who drive to and from work in the dark benefit most from a winter driving routine with this feature.
Work hours are already extended into the evening in warmer climates where siestas are customary.

2. Small companies get less coverage

The 9/80 timetable may be problematic for small businesses with few employees. It’s possible that there aren’t enough personnel to divide the day off and enhance coverage. In other cases, companies may have just enough personnel to divide them into two teams but not enough for each team to complete the task during their shifts.

3. Managing Requests for Time Off

In principle, the 9/80 work plan works well, however it can cause problems when time off is sought.

For example, if an employee wants time off while the majority of other employees are on their three-day weekend, coverage may be jeopardized.

4. Employee morale and health

It is impossible to run a successful business without the help of your workers, and your success is ultimately dependent on their time and energy.

While the 9/80 schedule provides two more days off each month, the long working hours the rest of the time may leave your workers with little opportunity to unwind in the evenings, resulting in sleep deprivation, low morale, and poor performance.

5. Performance issues

This work schedule may not be suitable for all characters. It may be difficult for some employees to adjust to this schedule. As a result, their performance may fall short of the needed standard.

Read about: Why You Should Use Pomodoro Technique At Work 👍😊

How To Process Paychecks for a 9/80 Work Schedule?

Normally, pay cycles are Monday through Sunday or Sunday through Saturday. In the 9/80 case, the work schedule spans two weeks, with 44 hours spent in the first week and 36 hours spent in the second. You must be careful when adding things up.

It Performing it incorrectly may result in you paying 4 hours of overtime the first week. Two-weekly payroll is recommended, as previously mentioned.

However, this might not totally convince you. Also, the PTO days are handled differently since they frequently count as nine hours off unless it’s a Friday.

Perhaps you would prefer a work schedule of 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., weekdays (Monday through Friday). The first workweek ends at 12:00 p.m. on the first Friday. The second workweek starts at noon (12:01 PM). The second workweek ends on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. (40 hours paid).

As a result of a compacted 9/80 workweek, payroll is handled this way.

Is 9/80 Work Schedule Beneficial For Your Company?

It is important to discuss schedule changes with your workers since the changes can affect their lives significantly. Therefore, before reaching a conclusion, it is necessary for both of you to discuss your viewpoints.

For small firms, this work plan does not work well due to a lack of human resources and capacity to cover shifts. Further, this schedule is more suitable for IT sectors and knowledge-based businesses than manufacturing facilities.

It is imperative that you give your employees a clear corporate policy about salaries, overtime, planned days off, and vacation leave if you plan to implement this schedule at your firm.

In order to foster open and honest communication with your employees, you should gather frequent employee feedback.

What does it take to determine if 9/80 schedule is right for your business?

The ability of your company or working sector to function outside of the traditional 9 to 5 working days determines whether or not your organization might benefit from a more flexible 9/80 work schedule.

Furthermore, businesses provide their employees with a concentrated work week. Then a more relaxed week with a 9/80 schedule may give your company a number of practical advantages. Employee loyalty and performance gains management are also part of the approach.

While there is no simple answer, several factors should be considered. Here are the most important points:

1. Business operations

9/80 schedules are good or bad for employees depending on the industry and business model you operate in.

Your business should consider the following questions before moving:

What is your business model?
Do you have a large staff?
How many people do you need throughout the week?
How do your staff members perform their duties?

2. Staff consultation

You must consult your entire workforce, including higher management, before implementing the transition.

Would your staff be open to 9/80?
Productivity will be negatively affected by longer workdays?
Which day of the week would they prefer to take off?

There is no need to transition the entire company to the 9/80 schedule simultaneously.

3. Redirect resources to make the transition to a 9/80 work schedule

Use scheduling software in conjunction with a payroll service that allows for the transfer. Managing a 9/80 work schedule has several obstacles.

For businesses working with contractors or considering transitioning to a 9/80 schedule, integrating effective contractor software can significantly streamline operations. Such tools immensely reduce time spent on estimating, invoicing, and processing payments, thereby making scheduling more efficient and providing employees with a more balanced work-life.

Payroll must be switched to a two-week period, the first Friday divided into two four-hour shifts, and sick leave, PTO, or vacation must be tracked based on whether it was taken on an eight-hour or a nine-hour day.

You’ll also need to construct a 9/80 work schedule template that you may utilize week after week. This schedule should be freely available on all platforms by both managers and employees, and management should be able to assign, approve, and amend schedules based on frontline needs.

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Successful Examples of 9/80 Schedules

Both large and small companies have embraced the 9/80 work plan and have seen its benefits and drawbacks. Despite this, the bulk of their encounters has been positive and recommendable.

The following are some large organizations that have successfully accomplished the 9/80 work schedule targets. Let’s have a look:

Microsoft Japan

Microsoft Japan was an early adopter of the 9/80 work schedule and one of its most prominent supporters.

Furthermore, their response to the 9/80 work pattern supplies us with previously unknown knowledge. They said that by implementing the new schedules, which have people working nine days instead of 10 on a bi-weekly basis.

As a consequence, their productivity increased by more than 40%. They also claimed a 23% decrease in power use and a 60% reduction in printing paper consumption.

Clif Bar and Co.

Clif Bar is a food company based in the United States that manufactures energy beverages and power bars. Cycling, climbing, and other outdoor enthusiasts enjoy it.

According to Gary Ericson, the owner of Clif Bar, employees will be happier, more motivated, and more productive on this alternate work schedule. A 9/80 work plan helps Ericson’s staff succeed by ensuring their well-being.

Clif Bar & Company’s 9/80 work schedule, as evaluated by current or past employees, is considered one of its most essential perks, according to several employment evaluations. As a result, this form of alternative work schedule suits them.

Raytheon Company

According to the organization’s website:

“In order for Raytheon to adapt successfully to challenging business demands, innovation, creativity, and flexibility are critical.”

Raytheon encourages flexible work arrangements such as shorter work weeks, flexitime, job sharing, reduced hours, and telecommuting. There may be specific flexibility possibilities depending on the kind of work done and the location.”

Raytheon Company, a major US defence contractor that makes armament, military, and commercial electronics, is one of those that have successfully implemented a 9/80 work schedule.

They do an outstanding job of creating a healthy work atmosphere and ensuring employee work-life balance.

Tools to Make Scheduling Easy

While you could log your hours using a typical timesheet form or even an Excel spreadsheet, it’s easier to follow your work schedule with time management software. Some of the time management software are:

timeTracko

timeTracko is a workplace monitoring and productivity software that monitors your employee’s time and attendance and records their work. It further helps measure employee performance based on their work time and provides performance reports based on the data.

Google Calendar

Online calendar software, such as Google Calendar, improves on the simplicity of offline calendar software as a schedule creator. These apps then take schedule creation to the next level by granting your schedule the ability to be distributed through the cloud.

ScheduleFlex by Shiftboard

Shiftboard’s ScheduleFlex is an employee scheduling software solution built for service industries such as healthcare, customer support contact centers, and government. It integrates with payroll applications like Ceridian and Paychex.

It is advantageous to provide employees with self-service access via a mobile app where they may view automatic schedule adjustments.

Conclusion

An employee or business owner who adopts a 9/80 schedule may find it challenging but also ambitious. It is important to follow the guidelines outlined in this blog post when making adjustments to the work schedule.

To minimize misunderstandings and disorganized work schedules, everyone must be familiar with the system.

By working nine to eight hours a day, everyone will be more productive and motivated at work while also getting an extra day off. A good alternative work schedule can be beneficial for both employees and firms.

FAQs Regarding 8/90 Work Schedule

Does the 9/80 work schedule have legal standing?

Work schedules for 9/80 employees are governed by Section 510 of the California Labor Code. For your company to consider 9/80, a secret ballot election must be conducted by at least two-thirds of the employees in a specific department.

How to manage a 9/80 work schedule and holidays?

9-80 schedules determine whether holidays fall on eight-hour or nine-hour workdays. If a holiday falls on an eight-hour workday, employees are often granted eight credit hours. And, employees usually receive one hour of paid time off plus eight hours of holiday credit on nine-hour days.

How does the 9-80 work schedule affect sick leave?

Sick days should be treated the same as normal work days. For example, an employee who fails to work nine hours because of illness will have nine hours deducted from their sick leave bank. Additionally, eight hours are reduced if the day lasts eight hours.