Is Friday the New Saturday?
Ahhh, the perks of working from home for myself…I woke up at 6 am, checked my emails, and got my daughter and I ready for the beach. My mom drove us. Today’s weather made for a PERFECT beach day - it would have been practically a sin to work! My only regret - not wearing enough sunscreen. Ouch!
Getting to take Fridays off (except for the Fridays I feel like working or have lots to catch up on) is most definitely a great advantage of owning a business. But, you don’t have to be a business owner to have free Fridays. In fact, there are emerging flexible work arrangements sprouting up in thousands of companies nationwide that give you 26 to 52 long weekends each year - with little or no decrease in pay.
With three day weekends every weekend, imagine the extra family time you’d get. Imagine more time for leisure and recreation and weekend getaways. Then stop the imagining, and take action to get yourself your own “Fridays Off” flexible work arrangement. Here are some ideas you can pitch to your boss:
1.) 32-hour work weeks - EVERY OTHER WEEK. This adds up to 72 hours in two weeks, representing a 10% cut in hours or 10% or less cut in pay. This is a small-step route to less work hours, which may be much easier than requesting a three- or four-day workweek, particularly if you have a more demanding job or boss. If this flexible arrangement works out, you may even be able to eventually ask for 32 hours every week.
2. Four, 9-hours-a-day work weeks. I have many friends who enjoy this perk at their companies - and the good news is they don’t get any cut in pay or benefits! This is a 36-hour work week; a compressed variation of the typical 40-hour work week.
3. Four, 9-hour days a week in the office PLUS four hours from home on Friday mornings. Hey, if you can’t get the whole Friday off, why not try for half? a.) there’s no commute; and b.) you are free to enjoy the weekend by 12 noon on Friday! (Plenty of time to get yourself to the beach this summer!)
Believe me, adding that one extra day a week for your personal/family life can do wonders for the soul…see if this is something you could manage at your current job!
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