9/80 Work Schedule Explained: Pros, Cons, and Payroll Tips

A 9/80 schedule is one where 80 hours of a biweekly workload have been compressed into 9 instead of 10 days. The schedule comes with benefits and drawbacks, where employees work more each day to get an extra day off every other week without sacrificing their full-time pay.

While the arrangement sounds straightforward, it can lead to complexities when it comes to payroll processing and overtime calculations. This article explores the legality and intricacies behind a 9/80 work schedule, as well as special considerations, while also looking at its pros and cons and the way it impacts payroll and pay stubs.

What Is a 9/80 Work Schedule, and How Does it Work?

A 9/80 schedule is a form of compressed workweek arrangement where full-time employees work 80 hours over the span of 9 days instead of 10. The primary reason behind this redistribution of a traditional biweekly schedule is to give employees one full day off (typically a Friday) every other week.

This alternative work schedule usually consists of eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day. By working one hour more for the majority of days, employees are awarded a “free” day off at the end of the cycle.

In practice, this typically results in two uneven weeks, where the hours are distributed like in this 9/80 schedule example:

• Week 1: The employee works four 9-hour days and one 8-hour day (usually Friday).
  • Total weekly hours worked: 44.

• Week 2: The employee works four 9-hour days and gets one day off (usually Friday).
  • Total weekly hours worked: 36.

This schedule is common in industries that require extended operational hours. Common examples include manufacturing, government services, engineering, and technical organizations.

For instance, companies can have half of their staff off on one Friday and the other half off on another. This allows them to keep their doors open for longer hours while giving all of their employees an extended weekend every other week.

Depending on the industry and the company, employers may move the start and end times of weeks and shiftsto accommodate their line of work and to ensure accurate overtime calculations and payroll tracking. However, they must still comply with federal laws and create a 9/80 work schedule that fits the rules.

Is a 9/80 Schedule Legal?

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a 9/80 schedule is legal, as long as it complies with relevant wage and hour requirements. The FLSA doesn’t forbid employers from compressing two workweeks into nine days, but it does put a limit on how many hours an employee can work in a single week before triggering overtime.

If a non-exempt employee works more than 40 hours in a single week, every hour beyond 40 must be paid at an overtime rate that is at least one and a half times their regular hourly rate. That’s why employers are required to meticulously track every hour an employee works, especially in the 9/80 work schedule.

Taking into account the calculation outlined in a previous chapter, you’ll notice that one week usually has 44 work hours. This would automatically trigger overtime rules, and employers would have to pay 4 hours of overtime to their employees every other week.

That’s why employers often redefine the workweek to begin and end in the middle of the working Friday. This allows them to split the 8-hour working Friday in half between two weeks, removing 4 hours from the 44-hour week and adding it to the 36-hour week. That way, both weeks end up having 40 work hours without an overtime trigger.

9/80 Schedule Pros and Cons

Now that we have a thorough understanding of this work arrangement, let’s examine some of the most prominent 9/80 schedule pros and cons.

Pros

Let’s start with some of the biggest pros of a 9/80 schedule:

• Improved work-life balance. Depending on your lifestyle, 9/80 can be a flexible work schedule that gives you much more free time than a standard 9-to-5. A guaranteed three-day weekend every other week amounts to about 26 extra days off per year, which is basically five weeks of extra ‘vacation’ time, as long as you can handle longer shifts.

• Reduced commuting time and costs. Since employees are working one fewer day every two weeks, they are essentially commuting 10% less often. Over extended periods, this amounts to a lot of time and money saved, as well as stress avoided, especially if the commute is long.

• Employee recruitment and retention. Many professionals who look for flexibility value a 9/80 schedule. This allows companies that offer it to differentiate themselves in the labor market, attract talent with the schedule as a perk, and retain them for longer without spending any additional money.

• Extended business hours. If the company creates a smart schedule by staggering off days among employees, they can keep their doors open and operations running for at least 9 hours every day without spending additional money on more employees or overtime pay.

• Boosted productivity. Longer days can result in enhanced productivity since professionals have more time to focus and dedicate to complex tasks. This can result in a greater output compared to 10 days of work with fewer hours per day.

Cons

A 9/80 schedule is not without drawbacks. Here are some of the most prominent ones:

• Risk of worker fatigue and burnout. Nine-hour workdays (especially once you add in lunch breaks and commute) can be physically and mentally taxing. By the time an employee gets home, they may have little to no energy left for other activities, such as doing chores, socializing, or spending time with their family.

• Scheduling challenges and staffing gaps. If the entire workforce follows the same 9/80 schedule, the business is effectively closed every other Friday. On the other hand, staggering shifts to ensure continuous operations and availability lead to complexities. For instance, it makes it difficult to manage employees or schedule all-hands meetings.

• Payroll complexities. A 9/80 schedule typically requires a rigid payroll setup. For instance, if an employee swaps shifts or comes in early on their split Friday, they will likely end up working more than 40 hours in a week. This can trigger unplanned overtime calculations and make payroll processing more complicated.

• Employee leave complications. An employee taking days off (e.g., sick or holiday leave) can make it challenging to organize other employees and adequately cover all the shifts. Moreover, employees will typically take 9 hours per day, which can burn through their PTO much sooner than they expect and lead to confusion.

How the 9/80 Work Schedule Affects Payroll and Pay Stubs

Setting up a 9/80 work schedule affects payroll and pay stubs in terms of precision and consistent monitoring.

First, you need to configure your payroll software so that the workweek officially starts and ends in the middle of a workday on Friday. For example, if a Friday shift lasts from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with one hour for lunch break, your workweek may end at 12:00 PM.

Hours worked before 12:00 PM are counted toward the first week, while hours worked after 12:00 PM are counted toward the second week.

One of the biggest risks with a 9/80 work schedule comes from employees who deviate from the established schedule. If an employee starts working at 7:00 AM on a split Friday, they will clock in 5 hours before the end of the first week, earning one hour of overtime pay. This hour can’t be removed even if they leave early, as they will leave during the second week.

Additionally, some employees may feel confused when reading their pay stubs. For instance, an employee may wonder why there are ‘only’ 40 hours on their pay stub when they had worked 44 in a calendar week. Non-exempt employees may feel that they are owed additional compensation for overtime work.

That’s why it’s critical to educate your staff and establish clear policies and handbooks that describe everything. This will help employees who aren’t completely familiar with a 9/80 work schedule understand the difference between a calendar week and a workweek.

9/80 Work Schedule Special Considerations

To utilize the 9/80 work schedule efficiently and without issues, you must set clear policies on how to handle special circumstances and deviations.

One special consideration is regarding holidays. Federal holidays typically provide 8 hours of pay. This can complicate things when a national holiday (e.g., Labor Day) falls on a 9-hour workday. As a result, an employee can be short one hour of pay.

In these instances, companies may require employees to take one hour of their vacation time and add it to the holiday. Alternatively, they can offer one extra hour of holiday pay as a gesture of goodwill and a perk for employees.

Another consideration for employees is regarding sick days and paid time off. If an employee isn’t used to the 9/80 work schedule, they may take a day off and count it as 8 work hours. After a few days, they can end up surprised when their leave balances are drained more than expected.

State-specific overtime rules must also be kept in mind, as they can be more strict than the rules established by the FLSA. For example, California has daily overtime rules, where overtime is triggered after an employee works more than 8 hours in a day, regardless of their total weekly hours.

Employers in California can still use the 9/80 work schedule without getting into 9/80 overtime calculation and paying for it, but they must adopt an Alternative Workweek Schedule (AWS) through a secret ballot election.

It’s important to note that different states may have different laws that can influence the compressed work schedule. That’s why it’s critical to familiarize yourself with the rules and laws of your state when implementing the 9/80 work schedule.

Manage 9/80 Work Schedule Documentation With Paystub.org

At Paystub.org, we developed a professional and intuitive pay stub generator that you can use to effortlessly create these documents.

The tool makes it easy to define pay periods with start and end dates, to input regular work hours, overtime, holiday, vacation, and more. There are multiple paystub templates to choose from, and then you simply fill out the form and download a finished document.

Final Thoughts

A 9/80 work schedule is a fantastic solution for many businesses and professionals. It’s valued by employees who want flexibility and more days off, as well as businesses that need to keep their operations running for extended periods without hiring additional employees.

However, there are several special considerations, such as those regarding overtime and paid time off. That’s why business owners must set up rigid 9/80 payroll rules and structures, establish clear policies, and track time meticulously. That way, they’ll reduce the drawbacks of this schedule to a minimum while reaping all the benefits.

9/80 Work Schedule FAQs

#1. Does a 9/80 schedule always include overtime?

No, a 9/80 schedule doesn’t always include overtime. Many employers redefine a workweek so that one ends and the other one begins in the middle of the 8-hour working day on Friday. This splits work hours between both weeks to 40 hours each, thus not triggering overtime.

#2. Can salaried employees work a 9/80 schedule?

Yes, salaried employees can work a 9/80 schedule. Moreover, since salaried employees are typically exempt and not eligible for overtime, there is no need to do workweek adjustments, which are required for hourly workers. They can simply work their designated hours to help businesses meet their needs.

#3. Is a 9/80 schedule good for small businesses?

A 9/80 schedule is good for some small businesses, but it requires careful planning. It allows small businesses to maintain their operations for extended periods without having a large workforce. On the other hand, planning is needed to avoid having everyone go off on the same day.