Rotational week off

Gangham_style14 · Post by **Gangham_style14** » 12 Mar 2019, 15:44

I know many offices have rotating days off already, but in the south west region we have rotational weeks off.
How it works for those unfamiliar is you work 6 days a week for 5 weeks and every saturday you work for free. This builds up over the 5 weeks and results in a rotation week off. With this you can plan things and book holidays the week after so you get 2 weeks off work.

There is talk about RM scrapping this in favour of rotational day off. A rotational week off is great perk of the job. It will be like any other job and I certainly wouldnt stick around if they scrap this!
Does anyone else have Rotation weeks off ? Would you be in favour of having a day off during the week or prefer to keep week off?

Ren Hoëk · Post by **Ren Hoëk** » 12 Mar 2019, 15:51

My DO is in the southwest and we do not have rotational weeks off nor would I want them. I have a life and wouldn't want to put it on hold to slog it out for 5 weeks just to gain a week off. Where everyone else is at work/in school anyway. Especially given the increasing size of the walks we are on. I don't know of any other DO around us that have rotational weeks off either. Im quite happy with my long weekend once a month.

Ddarko85 · Post by **Ddarko85** » 12 Mar 2019, 15:55

We work 5 weeks on (Monday to Saturday) and have 6th week off. It’s great but those 4th/5th weeks become a slog!

I’m in a situation where another DO are desperate for posties and I could move there. It’s a smaller office and closer to where I live. The catch? They’re on a rational day off rather than week and I’d lose my floating weeks. That’s the only thing that’s stopping me from transferring right now.

Although the 6th week you do get Saturday and following Monday off, which is ok I guess.

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 12 Mar 2019, 17:20

we had it but ours was even better. we worked 3 weeks on and a week off. we work 156 hours (52 hrs a week) over a 3 week period which freed up our 4th week. it was absolutely great. but RM colluded against us and got the union onside and we lost it. their patter was that if we didn't agree to scrap it, then our office was going to lose 9 jobs. The DOM and union have said since that this is going to happen nationwide so prepare yourselves to lose it.

arnold cheshire · Post by **arnold cheshire** » 12 Mar 2019, 17:23

The Wallington week is very common

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 12 Mar 2019, 17:27

having said that, if/when we go down to 35 hrs, then our working week will reduce accordingly and we will more than likely be on a 4 day week.

da'bunny · Post by **da'bunny** » 12 Mar 2019, 18:36

We work Mon-Sat with NO day off! unless you have asked for the Saturday off In advance and it is available. Which half the time isn't when you need it

arnold cheshire · Post by **arnold cheshire** » 12 Mar 2019, 18:49

da'bunny wrote:We work Mon-Sat with NO day off! unless you have asked for the Saturday off In advance and it is available. Which half the time isn't when you need it

Really?

Jamiechelt · Post by **Jamiechelt** » 12 Mar 2019, 19:34

I'd actually like to switch to a day off in the week. The 6 days straight with only one day off kills me!!

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 12 Mar 2019, 19:35

da'bunny wrote:We work Mon-Sat with NO day off! unless you have asked for the Saturday off In advance and it is available. Which half the time isn't when you need it

you must be choosing to work your day off. everybody is entitled to a day off.

crimson king · Post by **crimson king** » 12 Mar 2019, 21:02

daveyeff wrote:we had it but ours was even better. we worked 3 weeks on and a week off. we work 156 hours (52 hrs a week) over a 3 week period which freed up our 4th week. it was absolutely great. but RM colluded against us and got the union onside and we lost it. their patter was that if we didn't agree to scrap it, then our office was going to lose 9 jobs. The DOM and union have said since that this is going to happen nationwide so prepare yourselves to lose it.

I've heard RM are coming for our 9 day fortnights too, those DO's like ours that have them.

Same reasoning too, job losses.

I'm resigned to it. Let's face it, they seem hellbent on taking anything that benefits us posties, so why not this?

And seeing as how this thread is showing how different it is from DO to DO, how can the Union even hope to stand in the way?

Post by **rambo1** » 13 Mar 2019, 19:07

crimson king wrote:
daveyeff wrote:we had it but ours was even better. we worked 3 weeks on and a week off. we work 156 hours (52 hrs a week) over a 3 week period which freed up our 4th week. it was absolutely great. but RM colluded against us and got the union onside and we lost it. their patter was that if we didn't agree to scrap it, then our office was going to lose 9 jobs. The DOM and union have said since that this is going to happen nationwide so prepare yourselves to lose it.
I've heard RM are coming for our 9 day fortnights too, those DO's like ours that have them.

Same reasoning too, job losses.

I'm resigned to it. Let's face it, they seem hellbent on taking anything that benefits us posties, so why not this?

And seeing as how this thread is showing how different it is from DO to DO, how can the Union even hope to stand in the way?

Ours went yrs ago. Soooo much more tired of the job now on one in six rotating day off pattern. The 9 day fortnights were a dream shift pattern. Same story, union cajoled all the part timers into voting to get rid on a promise more would be made full time. RM said, can't do 9 day fortnights, too costly, every office will soon be on rotating days off......and six yrs later there's still an office 30 miles away on their 9 day fortnights. Work life balance is not in RM vocabulary.

Tinoblade · Post by **Tinoblade** » 13 Mar 2019, 21:06

Gangham_style14 wrote:I know many offices have rotating days off already, but in the south west region we have rotational weeks off.
How it works for those unfamiliar is you work 6 days a week for 5 weeks and every saturday you work for free. This builds up over the 5 weeks and results in a rotation week off. With this you can plan things and book holidays the week after so you get 2 weeks off work.

There is talk about RM scrapping this in favour of rotational day off. A rotational week off is great perk of the job. It will be like any other job and I certainly wouldnt stick around if they scrap this!
Does anyone else have Rotation weeks off ? Would you be in favour of having a day off during the week or prefer to keep week off?

I would hate to work rotational day off. I love the 5 weeks on 1 week off. It’s an extra 8 weeks off a year! But I don’t get too tired on the 6 days and can understand that people do

*edit*
I know it’s not extra time off. I’d have the same with rotational day off but a week off is bliss

Post by **rambo1** » 14 Mar 2019, 14:57

Tinoblade wrote:
Gangham_style14 wrote:I know many offices have rotating days off already, but in the south west region we have rotational weeks off.
How it works for those unfamiliar is you work 6 days a week for 5 weeks and every saturday you work for free. This builds up over the 5 weeks and results in a rotation week off. With this you can plan things and book holidays the week after so you get 2 weeks off work.

There is talk about RM scrapping this in favour of rotational day off. A rotational week off is great perk of the job. It will be like any other job and I certainly wouldnt stick around if they scrap this!
Does anyone else have Rotation weeks off ? Would you be in favour of having a day off during the week or prefer to keep week off?

I would hate to work rotational day off. I love the 5 weeks on 1 week off. It’s an extra 8 weeks off a year! But I don’t get too tired on the 6 days and can understand that people do

*edit*
I know it’s not extra time off. I’d have the same with rotational day off but a week off is bliss

It would be good. In theory you could have 6 sets of two weeks off and another two single weeks in Nov and Dec. Lucky you, make the most of it though can't see it lasting.

daveyeff · Post by **daveyeff** » 15 Mar 2019, 19:04

ours was 3 on and one week off. best shift patter EVER as far as we were concerned. it was 13 weeks holiday a year (same as school teachers). you could work it so you could take 3 weeks annual leave then your week off was due giving you a month off in summer then do the same in the winter months, and STILL have 5 weeks off left to take. it still grieves our office to this day, four years on. oh, and the union also told us if we accepted to get rid of it we would NEVER have lapsing AGAIN!!. what a crock of shite that turned out to be. ….. sold down the river.