Those of us who have worked on a Saturday before might mistake it for a regular workday. It’s possible, but it’s not guaranteed to be that way. Business Leader has looked into whether or not Saturday is considered a workday, and whether or not that varies by industry, location, and employer.
When do businesses open and close?
Common usage designates Monday through Friday, inclusive, as “business days.” Many companies in the United Kingdom and other Western countries consider Monday through Friday to be business days, but not the weekends or national holidays.
When will the 2021/22 bank holidays be?
In 2021 and 2022, England and Wales will celebrate eight holidays:
2021
Friday, January 1st, 2019: Ring in the New Year!
Friday, April 2nd, is Good Friday.
Monday, April 5th, is Easter Monday.
Around the First of May Monday, May 3, is a bank holiday.
Monday, May 31, 2019: Spring Bank Holiday Vacation Day: Monday, August 30
Monday, December 27 (Christmas Day) will serve as the make-up date.
The alternative date for Boxing Day in 2022 is Tuesday, December 28.
Monday, January 3, 2019 will serve as the make-up New Year’s Day.
The 15th of April, which is Good Friday
Day After Easter, April 18
Around the First of May Holiday in the UK: Monday, May 2
Celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, June 2nd and 3rd
August Holiday Closed Banks on Monday, August 29
Monday, December 26 (in lieu of Christmas Day)
Thursday, December 27 (instead of December 26) is Boxing Day this year.
Just how long is a typical workweek in the UK?
Many people in the United Kingdom spend their Monday through Friday working hours between nine in the morning and five in the evening. With the rise of flexible work schedules, however, weekday and weekend hours may be quite different.
It’s also worth noting that the typical workweek looks very different depending on the industry. Evenings and weekends, for instance, are peak work times in the hospitality industry. It’s not uncommon for stores to be open on the weekends, and individuals in the emergency services often have to be on call at all hours.
“Many businesses in the property, construction, retail, manufacturing, and sports/leisure sectors also tend to open up on Saturdays (and even Sundays) – at least for part of the day,” notes Ruban Selvanayagam of Property Solvers.
Therefore, Saturday is almost certainly just another working day for these industries.
Is a working day the same as a business day?
The fact that you put in a Saturday shift in the UK does not make the day a regular workday there. Many UK banks, for instance, are open on Saturdays until 12:30 PM, however they do not accept or process payments on that day.
If you deposit a check on a weekend, it won’t enter the bank’s clearing cycle until Monday, and you could not see the money until Thursday.
It may be argued that although Saturday is a working day, it is not a business day because processing payments is not normally part of a bank’s activity.
Is the Western world the only place where people go to work on Saturdays?
The definition of a business day might vary widely from country to country due to considerations such as religious observances. Unlike the UK and many other Western countries, countries where Islam is the prevalent religion do not observe the Monday–Friday work week.
For instance, in the predominantly Muslim state of Kuwait, the weekdays are Sunday through Thursday and the weekend is on the preceding and following days.
In Israel, the weekend consists of Friday and Saturday because the Jewish day of rest (Shabbat) begins on Friday evening.
Is it preferable to work a 4-day week?
It depends on who you ask, but there are a number of studies and surveys that indicate the 4-day work week is beneficial. For example, an e-commerce company called ParcelHero found that switching to a 4-day work week would increase high-street sales by 20%. The digital estate planning solution company Akren.legal has also successfully implemented a 4-day work week.
A 4-day workweek, however, may not be practical for all companies. It’s possible that many employers may ask their staff to work the same number of hours in fewer days. In order to avoid burnout, they work four 10-hour days instead of the traditional five.
If employees decide to cut back on the number of hours they put in each week, it will have an impact on the amount of vacation time they are entitled to get from their employer.
If we go to a 4-day work week, does that mean Saturday will still count?
It’s reasonable to assume that if a 4-day workweek were the norm, most businesses would be open on Monday through Thursday.
Saturday would undoubtedly be a business day for those working a 4-day week, especially at a time when the need for more flexible work practices appears to be on the rise, despite the fact that business days differ among industries, countries, and even within individual organizations.
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