How long is a working day?
How long is a working day? You’ve probably heard of a 9-5 job, a day job, or a day job. Even a layman may come across words like these when placing an online order or carrying out a business transaction at the bank or office.
Different countries, periods, sectors, and organizations have set their own standards for what qualifies as a working day. Some of them were influenced by religion which required a free day for worship. In fact, earlier eras had recorded days of rest similar to what we have come to call weekends in this era.
In the early 1900s, some American mills already gave their workers a five-day workweek. Henry Ford began giving his workers Saturdays and Sundays off after the October Revolution, which criticized elites for presenting unfavorable conditions to their workers.
In 1940, however, the Fair Labor Standard Act saw the adoption of a two-day weekend and 5 working days with the adoption of a 40-hour work week. This has since been standard in the US and many parts of the world today.
What is a working day?
A working day, also called a business day, is any day within a working week that is used to describe when normal business activities take place. These are usually calendar days from Monday to Friday, from 9 to 5 local time, excluding holidays and weekends. Every day that the financial markets are open for trading is considered a business day in the securities sector.
There are usually 21 working days in a 31 calendar month and 18 working days in a 29-day calendar month. However, some countries have a 4-hour work week, which further reduces the length of available work days in a month. Some working days may also be 8 – 4 or 8.30 – 4.30, usually with a break of one hour or two breaks of 30 minutes, but others may be longer or shorter.
3 types of working days
You may be so used to the regular 9-5 workday that you find it hard to believe that there are many types of workdays. Well, there are really many types of working days and we will discuss 3 below. Continue reading.
1. Continuous working day
Also known as a full-time workday, this type of workday has only a short break for break and usually lasts a full eight hours. Most countries have this type of working day.
2. Split working days
This type of workday involves much longer breaks that may require workers to go home and return at a later time. The breaks can be as long as 3 or 4 hours, and employees may be required to work from 8:12 to 4:00 and from 4:00 to 8:00 with an XNUMX-hour break in between.
3. Shift work
This is common in sectors that do not receive breaks such as security offices and hospitals. Shift jobs are usually divided into 3 groups of 8 hours each. These are morning, afternoon, and evening. The workers will mostly rotate their shifts except in cases where there are special agreements to permanently work in one shift.
Despite the differences in the types of working days mentioned above, it is important to note that only one working day can occur within a 24-hour period, thus, one day’s shift work in 3 sections does not equal 3 working days, nor does a split working day equal half a working day.
Why are working days important?
1. They are important for the work
Working days are basically the days when employees work in most companies and organizations, therefore working days are important as they help create a work-life balance for employees. While employees come to work during working days, they may have enough rest time on holidays.
2. To communicate with and invoice customers
In finance, working days are very important as they form the basis of banking day conventions which extend the date of an interesting period to a working day if the date on which the interest falls is a weekend or national holiday.
Working days are also the best time to communicate with customers so that customers can enjoy their free time on weekends and holidays with family and friends.
3. Fiscally
US taxes are usually filed before specific due dates which always fall on a business day.
4. Making future plans
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Schools, authorities, and different industries use working days to create a schedule or list for different activities. For example, schools will only fix exams and lectures on weekdays.
5. For courier services
Courier services are popular for using weekdays. They use it to determine how long it takes for a package to be sent or arrive. Most courier companies conduct their business only on working days. Sending a package usually comes with details of how many business days it will take for the package to arrive and be delivered.
The length of different working days
1. One working day
The length of a working day is the working time that exists on a working day during a working week. This can be anywhere between Monday to Friday, Monday to Saturday, Monday to Thursday or Sunday to Thursday depending on the region. Depending on the region, working hours may also vary.
A working day would mean the following day if there are no weekends or national holidays in between. For example, on a Monday, a working day from Monday is Tuesday if there are no holidays in between. Similarly, a working day from Friday will be the following Monday after the holidays.
2. Two working days
To determine when two business days will be, count two days after a certain day. For example, two business days after a Monday will be the following Wednesday. The days that fall on a weekend or holiday should not be counted.
3. Three working days
To calculate 3 working days, count 3 consecutive days after a certain day. For example, 3 business days after a Friday will be the following Wednesday in a country with a Saturday and Sunday weekend.
5. Three to five working days
3 to 5 business days would mean the days between the third consecutive business day and the fifth consecutive business day after the specific day. For example, 3-5 working days from a Wednesday will fall on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the following week.
6. Seven to ten working days.
To determine when seven to ten business days will be, count the consecutive days after a particular day minus weekends and public holidays. All days between the 7th consecutive day and the 10th consecutive day are 7-10 business days.
For example, 7-10 working days after a Monday will be the Wednesday of the following week to the Monday of the upper week.
Conclusion
Business days have been around for a very long time now, but the world has experienced a more globalized workforce since the introduction of the internet. Businesses now operate without the need to separate working days from weekends, while some operate around the clock.
With these developments, it is possible that the concept of business days will die out in the near future as more companies and organizations adopt more flexible working options.
