This Is How a 4-Day 10 Hour Shift Works

Written By Carolyn Gallagher
concept image of a 4-day work week

4-day, 10-hour shifts have become popular in recent years, even though they’ve been around for many decades now, but this shift doesn’t come in one form only. So, how does a 4-da, 10-hour shift work?


A 4-day, 10-hour shift is one of the 4-day workweek models where employees work for 10 hours instead of the usual 8 for four days. This means that every employee under this shift gets an extra day off but needs to work additional 2 hours for four work days to meet the 40-hour week quota.


In this article, I’ll go into this topic in detail. I’ll explain what a 4-day, 10-hour shift is, how it works and what you need to consider before switching to this type of work shift. 

What Is a 4-Day, 10-Hour Shift?

A 4-day, 10-hour work shift is one of the 4-day workweek schedules that are increasingly gaining popularity all across the business world. As the name suggests, employees work for four days in their shifts, but instead of the regular eight hours, they need to work ten hours a day.


The benefit of this model is that you get one extra day off, meaning you have a 3-day weekend. 


By comparison, there are other 4-day workweek models that incorporate a 32-hour and a 35-hour shift, but this particular model sticks with the traditional 40 hours of work per week. That’s why there’s an increase of two hours on the four work days in this shift. 


This shift goes by other names as well. Sometimes you’ll hear or see it written as a 4/10 shift or a “compressed schedule.” The latter term for this model sums it up nicely: the working hours are the same, but they’re only compressed to four instead of five days.


Some people prefer the traditional 5-day, 8-hour shift that’s been a staple for a while now. However, the popularity of a 4-day workweek model has increased in recent years, with the 4/10 schedule being the employees’ favorite. 


What’s really interesting, though, is how the 4/10 shift seems like a refreshing, new, and cool idea for many businesses, even though this model was present and tested in some professions, such as nursing, way back in the 1970s. In addition, there were about 600 companies with a 4-day workweek model during that time. 


Clearly, this model has been with us for quite some time now. However,  it has seen a resurgence in popularity as businesses become remote, digitalized, and not the center of people’s lives. This is especially visible with Millenials who often switch jobs and careers and don’t prioritize work over personal life.

concept image of a 4-day work week

What You Need To Consider When Choosing a 4/10 Shift

A lot goes into planning a workable schedule when switching to another work shift, including the 4/10 shift. There are some things every business should take into consideration before switching their entire operation.

4/10 Shift Isn’t Suitable for Every Business Model

Unfortunately, not every business model is suitable for a 4/10 shift. For starters, not every business can afford to hire additional staff (for some schedule models), especially if they’re small businesses. Switching to a new shift model can be a costly endeavor, so the majority of companies simply don’t do it. 

Some industries, such as tech, for example, are flexible enough in their operation, and the nature of their business allows them to experiment and find the most optimal solutions for the problems that traditional business models face. That’s why tech companies were one of the first to implement some form of a 4-day workweek. 

However, more traditional businesses and some unique jobs can’t switch to a 4/10 shift that easily. Money and time need to be spent to make a schedule that’ll work smoothly between different branches and teams in a company or a profession. 

So, you should always ask yourself before implementing a 4/10 shift if it’s truly the more optimal shift for your business model.

Will a 4/10 Shift Decrease Customer Satisfaction of My Business?

If you’re dealing with customers on a daily basis, then the 4/10 shift will require more planning on your company’s part. 


Why’s that? Well, customers hate when they can’t reach your business when they need to. That one extra day off your employees get could mean increased customer dissatisfaction.

That’s why some companies refuse to switch to the 4/10 schedule, even though it’s the same number of hours employees spend in their offices. 

There are some solutions to this problem, however, but they might mean more spending. Some companies choose to either divide employees who work with customers into two groups that have different schedules. 

For one group, the work week starts on Monday and ends on Thursday, and for the second group, it’s Tuesday through Friday. That way, every work day is covered. 

The problem with this model is you could end up with two small groups and not enough staff to deal with customers.

Another solution some companies implement is to hire additional staff to cover every work day. Unfortunately, the cost of hiring extra workers can make this very unappealing to business owners.

On the other hand, customer satisfaction could increase when you switch to the 4/10 shift when you think about it. Two additional hours of customer service during the four work days (or, depending on the schedule, five) means a lot for some customers who can’t find time to visit your company because of their work. 

What Does the Staff Think About a 4/10 Shift?

Even though the 4/10 shift is popular among many workers, it can still be a challenge to decide if it’s something you want. 

Not everyone is productive for ten hours a day, and for many, that extra day off work doesn’t mean much. So, it’s really important that employers have a discussion with their workers before switching to a new work shift. The initial question employers need to ask their staff is: Do you want a 4/10 shift? 

Productivity usually increases with employee satisfaction so it’s vital to factor your employee’s feelings on the matter before making concrete plans. 

If there’s not a majority, you could end up with many of your employees quitting their jobs or being less energized to do their work. 

Once the 4/10 shift has been implemented in your business, the next question for your employees after a while should be: Are you enjoying the new shift? 

Opinions can change, and maybe some employees won’t be happy with the new schedule. So, it’s important to always keep in touch with the staff during the testing phase. New insights and possible improvements can be gained through constant communication. 

What Do You Do if There Isn’t Enough Staff?

Another problem many companies that switched to a 4/10 shift face is the lack of staff. This is especially challenging for 4-day workweek models because any change, even the slightest, can affect the smooth running of the business operation and create delays.

I already mentioned that some companies hire additional staff for schedule purposes. That’s definitely one solution, but it doesn’t solve everything. First, not every company can afford additional staff.

In addition, sometimes the problem isn’t about hiring more people. Even companies that have plenty of staff sometimes get sick employees who can’t come to work for some time. On top of that, there are always employees who get fired unexpectedly and it takes some time to find new employees to fill those positions.

So, it’s always important you have a plan ready before switching to a 4/10 shift in case some of the situations I just mentioned occur. Large companies spend huge amounts of money and energy to come up with a plan for situations like these because even in the worst-case scenario, everything still needs to run smoothly. 

Does 4/10 Count as an Overtime Work?

We all know that eight hours of work a day, for five days a week, is the standard that employees and employers adhere to, right? That raises the question: Should I be paid overtime for two extra hours that I work in a day?

Currently, in the US, the law doesn’t go into individual work days. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which operates on the federal level in the US, states that employees must be paid for overtime if they work over forty hours per week. So, this law doesn’t focus on the number of hours you work in a day. As long as it’s forty hours a week, you usually won’t be paid overtime. 

However, California, Nevada, and Alaska are the three US states that specify the number of hours you should work in a day, which is eight. Everything over eight hours of work a day, or forty hours a week, in these three states means you must be paid overtime. 

Therefore, generally speaking, you’re still working the usual amount of hours in a week only with a 4/10 shift you make up for one extra day off work that you get. 

What Does a 4/10 Schedule Look Like?

A 4/10 schedule usually includes four working days and three days off work for an individual employee. However it can be flexible in terms of what day in a week is off and when the business starts. The amount of flexibility depends on each individual company’s preferences.

A regular schedule for a 4/10 usually moves the time a company opens  to two hours before a 5/8 shift. So, if businesses start at 9 am and close at 5 pm, the 4/10 shift will start at 7 am and close at 5 pm. It can also go the opposite direction, with businesses opening at 9 am and closing at 7 pm, although this isn’t as common. 

Businesses that have multiple shifts in one work day will need to schedule two or three shifts for just one day. Here it’s important that schedules overlap between each shift because lunch breaks need to be calculated into the schedule also. 

Another aspect of this shift is what days are work days. Again, 4/10 shifts are really flexible when it comes to this, but it all depends on individual businesses in the end. Some smaller businesses that don’t deal with customers will usually have Monday through Thursday as their workdays, with the rest as the weekend.

Larger companies with hundreds or thousands of staff members and businesses that deal with customers will need to have multiple groups of people in different shifts so they can cover all the days of the week, or at least five working days, depending on how they operate.

Are 4-Day 10-Hour Shifts Better?

Many employees ask themselves this question if they’re working in a regular 9 to 5 job. The great thing is that nowadays, people have the opportunity to quit their old jobs and apply at a company that offers a 4/10 shift. 

4/10 shifts can be better for many business models. However, there are some businesses that work with customers, patients, and clients throughout the week, which means increased costs for additional staff to cover all the work days in a week.

Some employees will answer this question with a “yes” and some with a “no.” It really depends if you’re ready to work ten hours a day so you can have one extra day off work for your other obligations and family time. 

For some, one extra day doesn’t mean much, and they’d rather work for eight hours for five days a week. The same goes for business models.

concept image of a 4-day work week

Conclusion

4-Day 10-hour shifts work for some employees and provide the amazing benefit of a three-day weekend they can spend with their loved ones. For others, however, it means sitting in an office for two additional hours four days a week. Apart from that, many businesses are simply not suited for a 4/10 shift. 

Although the exact schedule of work days, weekends, and business hours depend on a particular company, every 4/10 shift means that you work four days a week, and instead of eight, you work ten hours a day.

Sources

Carolyn Gallagher
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