Employee policies - 4 days week
The 4-day work week policy is used when selected employees work a compressed four-day pattern.
This means the employee may work fewer days each week, but each working day represents a larger share of their weekly working time.
To keep absence records fair, TimeOff.Management applies a 1.25 coefficient to absence durations for employees assigned to this policy.
What the 4-day work week policy does
When an employee is assigned to the 4-day work week policy, TimeOff.Management adjusts absence duration automatically.
For example:
| Leave booked | Duration recorded |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 1.25 days |
| 2 days | 2.5 days |
| 4 days | 5 days |
This helps a compressed four-day worker use allowance in a way that reflects their working pattern.
Why the 1.25 coefficient is used
A standard full-time week is often based on five working days.
A compressed four-day week spreads that full-time working pattern across four days.
So each working day carries more weight.
For example:
| Working pattern | Weekly working days | Value of one working day |
|---|---|---|
| Standard week | 5 days | 1 day |
| Compressed 4-day week | 4 days | 1.25 days |
This means one day off for a compressed four-day week employee is recorded as 1.25 days.
When to use this policy
Use the 4-day work week policy when:
- the employee works a compressed four-day week
- the employee’s working week is treated as equivalent to a normal full-time week
- one working day should count as 1.25 days for absence tracking
- you want absence duration to reflect the employee’s compressed working pattern
This policy is best for compressed working patterns.
It is not always needed for normal part-time employees.
For regular part-time employees, it may be better to set the correct employee schedule instead.
Read more: Setting employee schedule
Before assigning the policy
Before adding an employee to the policy, check:
- the employee’s real working pattern
- whether they are compressed full-time or part-time
- their schedule or rota
- their allowance setup
- future leave requests
- your company leave policy
If you are not sure whether to use this policy, compare it with a normal employee schedule first.
How to assign the 4-day work week policy
To assign the policy:
- Open Policies.
- Find the 4 Days Week policy.
- Enter Edit Mode.
- Select the employees who should use this policy.
- Save your changes.
The policy will apply to selected employees only.
You can remove an employee from the policy later if their working pattern changes.
What happens after the policy is assigned?
After the policy is assigned, TimeOff.Management uses the 1.25 coefficient for future absences.
For example, if an assigned employee books one full working day off, the absence is calculated as 1.25 days.
This happens automatically.
The employee does not need to do anything different when requesting leave.
Existing absences are not changed
The 4-day work week policy applies only to future absences.
Absences recorded before the employee was added to the policy are not changed automatically.
If an old record needs to be corrected, an administrator should review it carefully and adjust it only where needed.
4-day work week and allowance
The policy affects how absence duration is calculated.
It does not replace your allowance setup.
Allowance may still come from:
- department allowance
- individual allowance
- accrued allowance
- tenure-based allowance
- manual adjustments
- leave type limits
Read more: Setting up allowances
4-day work week and employee schedules
The employee schedule is still important.
The schedule tells TimeOff.Management which days the employee normally works.
The 4-day work week policy then adjusts the duration calculation for those selected employees.
For example:
| Employee setup | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Employee schedule | Which days are working days |
| 4-day work week policy | How absence duration is weighted |
Use both settings together when needed.
Read more: Setting employee schedule
If the calculation looks wrong
If an absence duration does not look correct, check:
- whether the employee is assigned to the 4-day work week policy
- whether the employee schedule is correct
- whether the leave request was created before the policy was assigned
- whether the leave type deducts from allowance
- whether the request is full day or partial day
- whether a manual adjustment has been added
The most common issue is using the policy for the wrong working pattern.
Removing an employee from the policy
If an employee no longer works a compressed four-day pattern, remove them from the policy.
Before removing them, check:
- future leave requests
- their current schedule
- their allowance balance
- whether their working pattern changed from a specific date
After removing the employee, review future leave bookings to make sure the calculation still looks correct.
Related articles
-
Employee policies overview Learn how employee policies can control selected rules, permissions, and working patterns.
-
Setting employee schedule Set the employee’s normal working days so leave is calculated correctly.
-
Setting up allowances Understand how department allowance, individual allowance, schedules, leave types, and adjustments work together.
Best practice
Use the 4-day work week policy only for employees on a compressed four-day working pattern.
For normal part-time staff, check whether an employee schedule is the better option.