A compressed work week is a scheduling system that has employees work fewer days, but for a longer duration. For example instead of working five 8 hour days, the employee can work 4 ten hour days, or three 12 hour days.
The advantages of this scheduling system for the employee are obvious. They get more days off, it is easier for them to fit in a second or third job into their schedule, it reduces their childcare dependency, and it reduces the amount of money spent on commuting.
For employers, this work scheduling system also has some notable advantages. The employer has more hours of customer service covered, there is a reduction in absenteeism, employee job satisfaction increases, and there is an increase in productivity.
The disadvantages of this work schedule system are minor if used in reasonable moderation. The most apparent drawback is that the possibility of job fatigue developing will increase as the work day gets longer, especially if the work day is longer than 12 hours in duration. Studies have shown that 12 hours seems to be the longest work day that an employee can handle before the length of the shift starts to negatively influencing the employee’s productivity and fatigue level. Besides this drawback, compressed work weeks seem to be a great option for companies who need employees on site before and after the normal 8-5 schedule.