What is a 9/80 Work Schedule? Everything You Need to Know

We’re all familiar with the traditional 9-5 work schedule. But every small business has different needs. Maybe your business relies on being open evenings and weekends. What happens when those needs fall outside of the 9-5 window? That’s why many small businesses are opting for a different approach to the work week by trying out a 9/80 work schedule. A 9/80 work schedule is unique in many ways. Not only does it have longer hours, but it also offers more balance and flexibility. Ahead, we’ll share an example of a 9/80 schedule, explain how it works, and unpack some of the benefits and challenges involved—along with legal labor considerations. By the end of this post, you’ll have all the info you need to decide if this type of shift schedule would work for your small business.

What is a 9/80 work schedule?

A 9/80 work schedule divides work shifts into 80 hours over 9 working days rather than ten. While the average full-time employee might work two weeks with 5 eight-hour days (for a total of 80 hours in a two-week span), 9/80 workers work slightly longer days for an extra day off. Most 9/80 workers will work 8 nine-hour days followed by one eight-hour day followed by an extra day off before the cycle starts over again. That means that instead of getting four days off in a two-week span, your employee gets five days off. This means you can schedule employees for longer shifts for increased productivity and coverage. The benefit for employees is getting an extra two days off a month, which allows for longer weekends and increased work-life balance.

How does a 9/80 work schedule work?

One quirk of the 9/80 schedule is that employees’ work weeks are imbalanced in hours worked.A typical 9/80 worker will be scheduled for four nine-hour days and one eight-hour day in the first week, for a total of 44 hours. The second week is broken down into four nine-hour days and one day off, for a total of 36 hours. Some schedules may split a shift so that employees work two half-days instead of giving a full day off. It all depends on the needs of the business, the amount of coverage needed, and your team’s availability—or their willingness to work this kind of schedule.

Who needs a 9/80 work schedule?

A 9/80 schedule is great for employers whose business is open at unconventional hours—and for employees who are looking for a little flexibility in their work hours. This kind of schedule can seem like an especially great perk for team members working staggered shifts or coming in at odd hours. For example, say you run a café that needs coverage early in the morning. A 9/80 schedule can have your employees starting at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. and working until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (with a break in the middle for lunch, of course). Or if you run a bar, your bartenders may prefer to work those 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. shifts if it means they get regular three-day weekends.

What does a 9/80 schedule look like? Our work schedule example.

If this type of work schedule sounds like something you and your team may benefit from, let’s break down exactly how you could make an employee schedule around this format. Below is a full 9/80 schedule example:

Week one:

• Monday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Tuesday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Wednesday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Thursday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Friday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (8-hour day)
• Saturday and Sunday: no work

Week two:

• Monday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Tuesday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Wednesday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Thursday: 8 a.m to noon; one hour lunch break; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (9-hour day)
• Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: no work

This schedule also doesn’t need to run Monday to Friday like traditional schedules. As long as it’s over a two week period—pay particular attention to how this impacts payroll!—you can schedule 9/80 shifts however you need for coverage.

What are the benefits of a 9/80 schedule?

It may look like an intense schedule at first glance, but the 9/80 workweek has its perks—for both employers and employees. Let’s go over some of the benefits.

Increased productivity.

An extra hour of work in a day is… well, another hour in the day when work gets done! This schedule might be particularly useful for shifts when long periods of focus are especially useful, or when longer bouts of coverage are ideal. In traditional work schedules, employees taking an extra hour to finish out a task may end up in overtime hours. So if you find your team is regularly tipping over the usual eight-hour structure, longer days may be the right solution for your business. With a flexible 9/80 work schedule, tasks can also be divided up differently—even more appropriately—for completion during the work day. And with the added benefit of a longer weekend on the horizon twice a month, you may find your team more refreshed and motivated to get to work when they’re actually at work.

Regular long weekends.

With a 9/80 schedule, employees are guaranteed an extra day off every two weeks. That long weekend is a huge incentive for employees to make the most out of their work time. From the employee perspective, when you know there’s an extra day that week just for you, it makes working hours that much sweeter and easier to enjoy. And it can motivate your team to work hard when they are at work to enjoy that time off all the more.

Less commuting.

No matter how your employees get to work—car, bike or public transit—saving a commute every other week frees up even more of employees’ time. Commuting is necessary in our very busy work lives, but any chance to take a day away from the traffic, noise, and pollution is a day with less stress—and more gas in the tank for work and leisure.

Stronger emphasis on work/life balance.

With a 9/80 work week, employees are given the opportunity to complete any necessary life-related tasks, attend appointments, or even tend to their hobbies on a day they might otherwise be at work. Whether it’s a dentist appointment or joining their kid on a field trip, they’ve now got a free day to do it, avoiding the need to take paid time off.

Flexibility.

For small businesses who need more coverage, the 9/80 work schedule is easy to spread out and move around according to your needs. Since not everyone needs to be on the same 9/80 schedule, you can offer your team members rotating days off. If you need someone to work Saturdays, that means that Saturdays are sometimes worked by some employees—but not always. Not only can this help improve the happiness of your team, it can make your life easier, too; you may find that you’re spending a lot less time scrambling to cover shifts! In short, a 9/80 schedule allows employers and employees to build out a schedule that works for the business and its workers. With a little creative scheduling, this one change can be a shortcut to making everyone a little happier in your workplace.

Higher task completion.

It’s a given that with more hours in a day to do your job, there’s a likelier chance your employees will be able to finish the tasks they start. Think carefully about how you’re going to delegate tasks and assignments per shift: while it may help completion of already existing tasks, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can assign more things to do!

What are the challenges of a 9/80 schedule?

There are a lot of great aspects of a 9/80 work schedule, but with all benefits come new challenges. If you’re aware of the potential pitfalls of this schedule, you’ll be able to stay ahead of them and make those benefits all the sweeter.

Longer work day.

Working for nine hours can take a toll on folks who aren’t used to it. If you’re thinking about implementing a 9/80 work day, consider easing employees into the schedule. One way to help your team adjust to the new structure is to pay attention to morale and be open to feedback about how the longer work day can be improved. For example, optimize breaks so they are taken when employees need a refresh. You could also try out different tasks at different times during the shift so employees are less likely to get tired out. Another trick could be to overlap schedules so your employees aren’t all worn out at the same time. If you’re hearing a lot of feedback that employees don’t feel like they have enough time at home, encourage them to stick with it long enough to enjoy that sweet, sweet extra day off. The reality is that longer work days may not work for everyone for all kinds of reasons, so be open to flexibility if an employee is telling you it’s just not working.

Staffing gap.

Small businesses of different sizes and industries need staggered shift coverage. Your business is unique, but at the end of the day, all businesses need people to make sure it runs smoothly. Having the right people at the right time makes all the difference to your operations. A 9/80 schedule can help address staffing gaps—but they can also create them. This pitfall is especially possible for businesses that are very small or have too few employees to meet their needs. For example, extra days off means that other team members need to cover those days—and if those employees call off, too, finding cover can be all the trickier. Staggered schedules may simply not work for some businesses if the labor solutions just don’t shake out.

Time off and sick day challenges.

Along with staffing gaps, there’s the added challenge of employee time off and sick days. How is a sick day in the middle of a 9/80 work schedule going to impact your business and other employees?

Early start times and late finish times.

There’s no getting around it: A nine-hour work day is long. A 9/80 schedule takes up most of the work day, leaving employees with little free time after hours. Depending on the commute, employees may spend up to 10 to 12 hours in a work mindset—from travel time to the actual work day. This can take a toll on employee morale, and cause issues at work.

Overtime challenges.

If task management and delegation aren’t handled well, your employees may end up starting a new task late in the day and complete it well after their scheduled shift end time. This may result in overtime hours, and can contribute to burnout.

Inability to focus.

A lack of focus on work goes hand-in-hand with adjusting to a longer work schedule. Not all hours of a shift pass by with ease. If your employee is bored three hours in and they’ve still got six to go, that could be a problem and something they may or may not get used to. If you don’t have enough tasks to engage your team with for the full nine hours, then a 9/80 schedule may not be necessary.

What are the legal considerations involved in the 9/80 schedule?

As of 2024, there are no federal labor laws restricting or prohibiting the 9/80 work schedule. However, there are a couple of existing labor laws you’ll need to consult and follow.

• According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), you must pay overtime for any non-exempt employee who works over their scheduled 40 hours per week. The overtime rate must be at least one and a half times the employee’s regular pay rate.
• Check state laws to see if there are any restrictions in your area. California’s overtime rules, for example, state that working over eight hours in a day is considered overtime. The state also has rules around alternate work schedules that require approval from the state’s division of labor standards enforcement.

What about other work schedules?

The 9/80 work schedule is just one option available to you when figuring out the best way to meet your business’s labor needs. The 9/80 schedule might not be a perfect fit, but maybe you’re asking yourself if another atypical schedule might be! Here are a few other examples of types of work schedules you can implement in your business.

Flex.

A flex work schedule, short for flexible schedule, is when your full-time employees work the hours that are convenient for them instead of working the traditional 9-5 schedule. For instance, some of your employees may choose to come in from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. while others prefer to work 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. As an employer, offering a flexible schedule supports your team’s work-life balance as they’re able to adapt their working hours to their personal schedules. However, not all businesses can offer this kind of flexibility. If you run a coffee shop, you’ll need to know that there will be someone there between opening and closing hours. A flex schedule makes that harder to guarantee—especially when you need shift coverage.

4/10 schedule.

A 4/10 schedule, also called a compressed workweek, is when full-time employees work 40 hours in less than five days. This typically means they’ll work four 10-hour work days per week. This type of schedule can be beneficial for both employers and employees. Employees tend to be more productive when they only have four days to complete their work instead of five. They’re also happier due to less stress, burnout, and fatigue, according to a global study. All of these positive outcomes are beneficial for employers, as happier employees are more likely to stay at their jobs and be more fulfilled with their work. But again, it may not work for all team members—especially the ones who have kids.

Rotating shifts.

A rotating shift is when an employee works a set schedule on a rotating basis, whether that’s week to week or every other week. Rotating shifts are usually best for shift work in industries such as transit, construction, or medical. An example of a rotating shift is a nurse who may work the day shift one week and cover the night shift the next week. This type of schedule is created to ensure shifts at always-on jobs are always covered. Another benefit is that it evenly distributes the shift times between employees.

Split shift.

Another type of work schedule is a split shift, which is when an employee’s schedule is divided into two. They may come in for a few hours in the morning, go home for an extended break, and then come back for a second shift in the same day. For employers, split shifts can be tricky if you aren’t diligent about your scheduling process. It can be easy for an employee to accidentally work overtime when they come in for two shifts. It's important to follow federal state labor laws to stay compliant. It may also not be a popular choice with employees. Make sure this is the right choice for everyone involved. And of course, do that before scheduling your team for two shifts in the same day.

Make scheduling a snap with the right tools.

Some of the biggest challenges with an alternative schedule can be… the scheduling! If some of your employees have rotating days off, how can you ensure coverage? If some employees are working 44 hours this week and others only 36, how will you keep track? Want to implement a 9/80 shift schedule or switch to a different alternative schedule at your business? You’ll need an automated tool to help you stay on top of your schedules. When you add various employee shift times to the mix—not to mention shift swaps and PTO requests—things can quickly get confusing. That is, of course, if you don’t already have a system in place to manage it all. Homebase is one great way to help optimize the scheduling process. Change in schedule? Homebase sends out notifications through email, text, or your own team app to let employees know about shift changes. Plus, you can decrease how many hours you spend each week on forecasting and scheduling with Homebase’s automated scheduling. Homebase empowers employers and employees alike with organizational and communication tools. Even better, software like Homebase frees up your time, so you can focus on other tasks for the business. Sound exciting? We think so, too. Try Homebase for free today.