Looking into a new job and I’ve had the offer of doing Mon-Fri which I’ve done for the past 10 years or 4 on 4 off. Are there any benefits to doing this? Previously 5 days suited my lifestyle with the wife and kids but due to our eldest son being recently diagnosed with severe juvenile arthritis, the many weekends we used to spend camping and whatnot are becoming increasingly rare. Also I’ve been told any days off worked are paid at time and half which is one of the reasons I’ve been thinking of changing. Has anyone gone from 5 to 4 on 4 off? And what was your thoughts on it? Another thing that’s made me think of it is in the past few weeks my Mother passed away so I’ve had a bit of time off and the wife said was nice just me and her while the kids were at school rather than it being me at work and then 2 days off with the kids in tow, don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t swap my boys for anything but it got me thinking.
More time of and less money. With four in four off
I like it as I get to spend more time with the family. But the decrease in wage is a bit of a hit.
Our 4 on 4 off lads are paid more than the mon to fri crew, worse case scenario 4/4 should pay the same as mon to fri because you are working lots of premium days, eg sat sun and bank hols.
There is no downside other than remember you work 5 weeks continually working at least one weekend day and 3 weeks working both weekend days, you are normally expected to work bank hols on that pattern for no extra (though that is built into proper pay agreements such as where i am now).
1.5X pay for extra days sounds fair so long as they don’t expect Sundays or non shift bank hols for that, when double bubble should be on offer, though depending on your pay package it might be lucrative enough anyway, would extra days be forced on you or purely voluntary?
Might be an idea to get a start date before you agree, then to mark an annual planner with your shift pattern for the whole year, see what the coming year looks like for you.
I loved it when i did it in the 80’s on nights, you are already winning cos it sounds like your wife wants time for you two together, thats a win win 
Brucie Bonus, book 4 days hol and you’re off 12, you can do that every other month, get a life back.
PS, sorry to hear of the lad’s diagnosis.
I went from mon-Fri tramping, to 4on -4off. I love it. You only work half a year, plus your holidays seem twice as long.
Reality check.
I loose three whole weekends, and a Saturday before that, and a Sunday behind that. Then you have three long weekends in a row ( it’s an 8 week cycle) ).
Depending on how you get paid, and what you did before , you’ll drop money. I lost £100 night out money a week straight away. You work less hours, and 4 out of 8 weeks you only work 3 days in a pay week, so if you get paid weekly, by the hour, keep that in mind. ( 12 ×3=36 even at £10 p/h that’s only £360 for the week).
I’m salaried, and would not do it otherwise.
You can do overtime, 1 day still gives you three days off, so a massive win over 6 days with 1day off. Make sure overtime days are paid seperately, not added to your monthly hours ( like Aldi do 
)
If you can afford the drop in money, you will be on a winner. Your social and family life will be greatly improved.
My Mrs likes working 4 on 4 off. Mainly because as Juddian said, when it’s holiday time you get 12 days off for the price of 4. She’s worked just about every shift pattern invented,so working public holidays doesn’t worry her
So it’s looking like 4/4 is more of a winner than 5/2. At the minute I’m not tramping but do the odd night out and the new job isn’t tramping either, it’s also monthly pay which is what I’m on now. The days off working is voluntary and I’ve worked weekends and bank holidays in the past so they’re not really a problem for me. Also the working days off at the weekend, the higher rate is paid for that day, i also don’t mind working 1 or 2 extra shifts on the 3 day weeks
Been doing 4 on 4 off for 9 years now after coming off 5/2.
Absolutely love it and would never go back to Mon to Fri. In my opinion the time off that you get more than makes up for the weekends that you work.
Having a holiday is a bonus as you only need to take 4 days off in order to get 12.
Desperate:
Looking into a new job and I’ve had the offer of doing Mon-Fri which I’ve done for the past 10 years or 4 on 4 off. Are there any benefits to doing this? Previously 5 days suited my lifestyle with the wife and kids but due to our eldest son being recently diagnosed with severe juvenile arthritis, the many weekends we used to spend camping and whatnot are becoming increasingly rare. Also I’ve been told any days off worked are paid at time and half which is one of the reasons I’ve been thinking of changing. Has anyone gone from 5 to 4 on 4 off? And what was your thoughts on it? Another thing that’s made me think of it is in the past few weeks my Mother passed away so I’ve had a bit of time off and the wife said was nice just me and her while the kids were at school rather than it being me at work and then 2 days off with the kids in tow, don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t swap my boys for anything but it got me thinking.
I’ve been on 4 on 4 off tramping for 12 years now,the biggest downfall is the weekends you basically work half the weekends in a full year,
The bonus is the time off We have 4 young kids,and I’ve been lucky to see them grow up and get the chance to take them to school,see the school concerts etc etc,I would never want to go back to mon/fri tramping but I would advise going for a salary based pay on this shift patten.
If it’s salaried and working weekends & public holidays aren’t a problem for your homelife, then 4 on 4 off is a great shift pattern, especially if you really have something to be at home for like you. LIke nodding donkey said, if it’s hourly paid or daily paid you could find your wages on the low side for a 4 week period where you are only in for 3 days, so something to think about. You can work overtime on your days off but thats never guaranteed so not good to be relying on it for your short weeks.
Unless you can find a permanent Mon -Thurs shift , the 4 and 4 is without doubt the best available . Been doing this pattern for 10 yrs , with a small break , and can’t fault it . Even when you land on the 3 day pay schedule you’re still earning but it hits the bank a week later , plenty of leisure time , great holiday structure . We get extra for bank holidays whether we’re due to work or not , 10 hrs if home , 2.5 x if working .
It can mean you miss somethings but generally the pros far out weigh the cons , well worth a try IMHO .
I take home £600 for four on four off! Easy money! 
get paid soon as shift is done!
I switched to 4 on 4 off 2 1/2 years ago and I would NEVER work mon-fri again. My current employer is the second I’ve worked for doing this shift pattern, and across both jobs I have averaged about 42 hours per week when averaged across all 52 weeks of the year. Both jobs paid around £32k ish before overtime (nights). I’ve learnt to enjoy the weekends more than the week because it’s quieter in terms of traffic, and workload. You just can’t beat having 4 days off each week. It’s the best feeling in the world as you trundle back to the yard at the the end of your 4th shift knowing you’ve got 4 days off.
But the best bit is that when I book 4 off, I actually get 12 off because there are 4 off before and after my booked 4. With 20 paid holiday days per year, that I means I get 5 blocks of 12 days per year off. From 365 days I get about 200 off.
I can’t think of any worst parts. I suppose if bank holidays and Christmas mean anything to you then you might end up working parts of these, unless you can book them off. Also, some companies average the pay out so you get the same pay each week, but others pay according to the actual days worked in any 7 day week. So, for 4 consecutive weeks you’ll work 4 days in a 7 day week, and then the following 4 consecutive weeks you’ll only work 3 in a 7 day week (because you’re off for 4). On those weeks where you only work for 3, your pay is less, but I’ve found it’s still an acceptable wage. Plus, some companies have plenty of overtime, so you can always do the extra shift to bump up your pay on those weeks, and still get 3 off!
I say go for it. you’ll love it.
how many days of holiday do you get per year if your on 4on4off?
i mean paid holiday days
chrisdalott:
how many days of holiday do you get per year if your on 4on4off?i mean paid holiday days
I get 20 days holiday. We don’t get the 8 bank holidays as an ‘extra 8 holidays’, because you may not be scheduled to work them. So if your off, you’re off anyway (and because I’m salaried, I’m ‘paid’ either way), and if scheduled to work, you work. You win some, you lose some. The massive amount of time off makes it worth it.
Like I said, I dropped £100 a week in night out money straight away, and about £100 a month in wages. But I’m working an average of 42 hours a week which works out just over £10 P/h, home four days in a row, and if I do any overtime, I still get to spend more time home than on a 5-2 job.
Went to 4on 4off a year and a half ago. It was brilliant shift and gave you a fair mix of
weekends and weekdays off. The company changed it 6 months in to 5on 3off. Now you work almost every weekend going. A really poor alternative to what was a great shift pattern. Somebody somewhere obviously prefers it, must be the money men as it certainly isn’t the drivers or their family.
If you get 4on 4off ■■■■■■ it, you won’t want to work another way again.
This 4 on 4 off looks like a good system - what kind of companies work that pattern? is it worked across the industry or is if certain work types ie fridges or containers? Any ideas, i’d like to look into it, thanks
halfwheel:
This 4 on 4 off looks like a good system - what kind of companies work that pattern? is it worked across the industry or is if certain work types ie fridges or containers? Any ideas, i’d like to look into it, thanks
Think you’ll find alot of firms do it now.We are general hauliers and have that shift system.As do jack richards maritime stobarts.So plenty to chose from
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Been on 4 and 4 since starting back on the road…
Can’t believe how good the pattern is…
I was in a 5 on 2 off manual job, a seemed to use them 2 days only to ‘recover’ from that weeks work. Never want to do anything or go out for the day / weekend, as I was just so knackered.
Now, we can have a 3 day break (holiday?) away somewhere, back to work, and maybe rinse and repeat every 4 off if we want now…
Just can’t believe how good 4 and 4 shifts are… 
Can I ask the mods to close, and remove, this thread? This forum IS read by employers you know…