Is a 4-day working week an option?

[ee000]

Feel like I already know the answer to this, but nonetheless...

I'm a fairly recent postie and enjoy the job but the physical toll it's taking on me doesn't seem to be letting up. Expected it to be physically exhausting at first and that I'd adjust to it over time but it's been months now and my body/legs/back/mental health are taking a battering. Part of the issue is a lack of rest and recuperation - with too much else to do on days off, and rarely consecutive rest days, I can't catch up and am worried that I'm grinding myself to the bone.

I've had similar with past physically-demanding jobs and have found on two occasions that switching from a 5-day to a 4-day working week made it much more manageable and gave me adequate rest outside of work.

Love the work and being a postie has always kinda been my dream job so I don't want to walk away from it, but I'm close to my breaking point. I'm gonna discuss it with my DOM but wondered if anyone else has managed to alter their work pattern to a 4-day week? My instinct is it's gonna be a flat no, non-negotiable non-starter, but... you never know. Wishful thinking?

[Dexydog]

Everyone in our gaff has been moved to a 5 day week whether they want it or not.
Lots of ex-4 dayers very miffed.
It's almost as if they don't want you to be happy outside of work....

[2yearpostie]

Cant see why we cant do a 4 on 4 off system ( yes inc sat/sun)

[SpacePhoenix]

Cant see why we cant do a 4 on 4 off system ( yes inc sat/sun)

Something like that will likely come in at some point. I can see Sunday delivery becoming popular with a good few of the customers who use Tracked. I wouldn't be surprised to see Amazon make real good use of it

[bishopoflove]

Find someone in your office in a similar situation and ask management if you can job share like I / we did, 3 day week 22.5 hrs. each, no reason for management to turn it down, get your heads together and you can work what days you want, have any holiday you want, one week on, one week off, the skies the limit, so long as someone is covering the duty there not bothered, good luck.

[Grumpyoldmailman]

4 day weeks tend to be in offices with strong union membership. It’s not a shift pattern that RM like as it is harder for them to resource to. What u will find it the offices that do have then end up having to offer SA to get the gaps filled.

[citypostie]

Lots of part timers in my office are on 3 day week and love it. But they are proposing our 1 in 4 moving back to 1 in 6 in the revision meaning some part timers made upto full time(possibly) but also all part time 3 day weeks going to 5 days so they can cover Tuesday and Wednesdays that we normally always work and they never do. They aren't happy about it. So it's a lose lose situation for us losing our 1 in 4 Saturdays off and part timers losing a 3 day week they love.

[Haditup]

A good manager would recognise your condition but unfortunately generally speaking RM managers lack empathy & would rather let you suffer because a 4 day week would cause them an headache.

The other option is speak with you GP about the stress work is causing you.
Your GP may sign you off sick and this will in turn cause RM to act upon your work related stress.
You should not really have to use this approach but usually is the only viable option.

Best of luck.

[grchpo]

5 weeks on, 1 week off. I wouldn't change it

[Wolf91]

We’re all on Wallingtons at our gaff. So your looking at 6 days a week every week, for 5 weeks (I’ve just done 6 weeks straight as I swapped a rota) Then you have a rest week.
We voted on it and while it wasn’t unanimous; it was certainly the vast majority. I wouldn’t change it personally. Good when you can hook it up with annual leave and whatnot.
I say the adjustment period is usually about a month to 6 weeks depending on fitness levels. Unless you have a ridiculously long and heavy walk I would be slightly concerned that you’re still struggling as much as you say.
I find taking multivitamins, drinking tonnes of water and salt baths twice or so a week help a lot. But that’s just my routine. If not then have a word with your GP incase something is underlying.
Best of luck. Chin up.

[gary1975]

Lots of part timers in my office are on 3 day week and love it. But they are proposing our 1 in 4 moving back to 1 in 6 in the revision meaning some part timers made upto full time(possibly) but also all part time 3 day weeks going to 5 days so they can cover Tuesday and Wednesdays that we normally always work and they never do. They aren't happy about it. So it's a lose lose situation for us losing our 1 in 4 Saturdays off and part timers losing a 3 day week they love.

You do realise that the office votes on the duty pattern?

[ee000]

I say the adjustment period is usually about a month to 6 weeks depending on fitness levels. Unless you have a ridiculously long and heavy walk I would be slightly concerned that you’re still struggling as much as you say.
I find taking multivitamins, drinking tonnes of water and salt baths twice or so a week help a lot. But that’s just my routine. If not then have a word with your GP incase something is underlying.
Best of luck. Chin up.

Yeah, I'm starting to wonder the same. This week has been relatively lighter but still completely drained me. I eat well, drink a lot of water, have given up alcohol, generally live a healthy lifestyle. Feel like I should've adjusted physically to the work by now, but... the level of pain and exhaustion I'm in pretty much constantly... a GP appointment is not a bad shout.

[postiewhite]

Im on a 4 day duty. Work every monday, Tuesday Friday and Saturday on 30hrs. This is the norm for the 4 day cover duties where they get the two busy days off.
Some are on 3 day job shares where they get a week off every fortnight which is a very good pattern but comes with a price of dropping to 20-25hr contracts

[SpacePhoenix]

In MCs we also have some FT staff on 3 day weeks!

[citypostie]

Lots of part timers in my office are on 3 day week and love it. But they are proposing our 1 in 4 moving back to 1 in 6 in the revision meaning some part timers made upto full time(possibly) but also all part time 3 day weeks going to 5 days so they can cover Tuesday and Wednesdays that we normally always work and they never do. They aren't happy about it. So it's a lose lose situation for us losing our 1 in 4 Saturdays off and part timers losing a 3 day week they love.

You do realise that the office votes on the duty pattern?

We didnt last time when we went onto these rotas. Our union rep who was the area rep at the time just agreed to it