6 Work Schedules Every Manager Needs To Know & Should Use

A work schedule is a description of how you’re going to work. Are you doing a mundane 9 to 5, or are your hours any different? There are many types of work schedules and some people might be familiar with the most popularly used schedules including part-time and 9 to 5 working schedules. Deciding the work schedule that you like the most and wish to work in is very important for your professional as well as personal life. This is because your working schedule can affect a lot of things. This includes your productivity, your general daily routine, your personal life, and the hours that you have free.

6 Types of Work Schedules

Following are the 6 types of work schedules every manager needs to know:

Your Mundane 9 to 5 Schedule

This might be one of the most famous and heard of working schedules because many jobs offer this lifestyle. With a 9 to 5 schedule you have to work for 8 hours about 6 times a week or 5 times a week depending upon your job requirements and the demands of the employer from you. Even though many people whine at the thought of a 9 to 5 schedule, it is important to realize that it might be one of the most practical and efficient schedules for you. First things first, this schedule is fixed, so you know exactly when you’ll be free throughout the week and can make prior commitments based on that.

Also, it utilizes those hours of the day where you can be the most productive while still leaving you with yourself with a few hours in the morning(based on when you wake up) and many hours in the evening. This is why, even when it is mocked about, this schedule works the most and gives the employer the work he wants while giving you the restricted freedom that you can utilize.

Part-Time Work

Part-time work is similar to any other job profile except that in this criteria your working hours are less than other jobs. Usually, you work only less than about 30 hours a week through such a working schedule. So basically anything less than a 9 to 5 is a part-time job. 

Now if you’re clear about the hours that you have to put in part-time and those hours are fixed, then this also allows you to have a clear schedule of your week beforehand thereby letting you make any prior engagements that you want to. Also, you can spend time with your friends and family owing to the time you’ll be free during the week. One drawback of this working schedule is that this is usually applied for jobs that don’t pay much because higher-paying jobs need more working hours.

Unpredictable Schedule

An unpredictable schedule, as the name implies, is a completely unpredictable schedule. You don’t know what hours you’re going to work and you work based on what is required of you for the day. Therefore, this can be very unpredictable and often like a gamble.  You might have to work more on your bad days, but on the contrary, you might also have to work less on some days. The biggest drawback of this type of work schedule is that you can’t have any prior commitments. Since you come to know about your day’s schedule only before some time, you can’t make reservations for some days ahead because you don’t know what day is holding for you. 

Compressed Workweek

The compressed workweek is for those people who believe in hustling for greater time for more fun days. This is one of the very unique types of work schedules. This is because in this work schedule you have to work for only 4 or 5 days a week if you had to work 5 or 6 in other circumstances but you have to work for more hours. So even if you’re putting in more effort on the 4 or 5 days that you’re going to your office, you get an additional day off and that can be utilized to plan a brief holiday of 3 days even. However, the drawback of this type of work schedule is that you have to work extremely hard for the working days and it can often burn you out.

Shift Schedule

Another working schedule that is used quite frequently is the shift schedule. This usually works for those companies which have to stay open for 24 hours a day which includes many restaurant chains, factories, and other such workplaces. Here the day is divided into 2 shifts. One employee is assigned one shift, either day or night, and he has to work accordingly. 

Although this can be profitable for those who could use extra hours in a day and don’t want to do an 8-day work-day schedule, it can be quite tiring for those who are assigned the night shifts. They have to completely shift their way of living and still take out time with their family and friends when they have to sleep in the day and work at night. So this is something to look out for.

Rotating Shift Schedule

The rotating shift schedule is very similar to the normal shift schedule. The only difference in this type of working schedule is that the employees’ shifts are changed after a while. So if you’re doing a day shift today, you might be doing a night shift next week. Now people who have no problem adapting their lifestyle and social life around this norm should do fine. But the problem arises when you just set your schedule of sleeping in the day and then you have to work in the day. These changes can be a lot to handle for the body.

Conclusion

There are many types of work schedules that are available for you to look at. It is important to understand which one of them would work for you and which will not because in the long run, if you can’t be productive and can’t manage your life based on your working schedule, you’ll be thoroughly burned out and will not be able to perform. A work schedule plays a big role in your daily routine so ensure that you can maintain a proper balance in your life.