The 5/40 Work Schedule: Definition, Benefits, and Alternatives

The 5/40 work schedule is one of the most common work arrangements, but is it the best fit for modern workplaces? In this article, we explore its structure, benefits, challenges, and potential alternatives to help employers and HR managers make informed decisions.

What is the 5/40 work schedule?

A 5/40 work schedule means five workdays of roughly eight hours each, totalling 40 hours in a fixed workweek. In the U.S., overtime for non-exempt employees is calculated after 40 hours in the workweek, regardless of which days those hours fall on. In the UK, it simply sits under the Working Time Regulations framework for average weekly hours.

Related patterns managers usually compare

Leaders often weigh 5/40 against 4/10 compressed weeks, 9/80 bi-weekly setups, and “flexible schedules” with core hours. These can improve coverage or employee experience, but they change how you track time and, in places like California, how you qualify for daily overtime relief under an Alternative Workweek Schedule.

📊Here's a quick comparison: 

⚠️Notes for managers:

• State/sector differences apply. California daily overtime and meal/rest rules can change feasibility of 4/10s without AWS. Washington State has higher exempt salary thresholds than federal.

• UK context: Working Time Regulations focus on average weekly hours and rest rather than an overtime trigger; keep written opt-outs where applicable and monitor averages.

Pros and trade-offs that matter

Use this to decide when to keep five eights versus moving to compressed or flexible work.

Coverage and customer fit

Five eights keep daily coverage steady across the week and align well with customer support windows. It’s easier to coordinate meetings and handovers when everyone shares similar daily hours. If you need longer daily coverage, 4/10s or staggered flex schedules may serve you better, but watch the overtime maths.

People and hiring

5/40 is predictable, which many frontline and operations teams prefer. If you compete for talent against four-day or flex employers, consider blending 5/40 with flexible start/end times to improve work–life balance without changing total hours. In the UK, ensure any pattern still keeps average weekly hours within legal limits unless there’s a valid opt-out.

Cost and compliance control

The standard week minimises surprises: overtime is tallied after 40 hours per workweek in the U.S.; there’s no special admin like California AWS elections that compressed schedules may require. In the UK, 5/40 typically fits neatly within the 48-hour average; keep opt-out records if staff exceed the cap.

Fatigue and wellbeing

Shorter daily shifts can reduce fatigue risk versus longer days, supporting safer operations. UK guidance links working-time limits to health, safety and wellbeing, which is a useful framing for policy communications. If you experiment with longer days, build in extra rest and monitoring. 

Compliance snapshot

Here’s the legal baseline you can rely on when using a 5/40 pattern.

What to know at a glance

Laws focus on hours and overtime, not the label of the schedule. U.S. federal enforcement currently applies the 2019 salary thresholds for white-collar exemptions, while state and UK rules add their own layers.

👉 Manager takeaway: With 5/40, your main risks are incorrect workweek setup, poor timekeeping, and missing documentation for opt-outs (UK) or exemptions (US). Review your policy text, payroll workweek, and records annually.

 

When to keep 5/40 vs switch to alternatives

Here’s a fast decision aid before you change the rota.

✅Quick manager’s checklist

Use this to decide if five eights stay, or if 4/10 or 9/80 deserves a pilot.

• Keep 5/40 if you need steady, same-length days for customer coverage and simple overtime rules (US: after 40 hours in the workweek).

• Consider 4/10 if you want longer daily coverage and fewer commutes, but in California you’ll need an Alternative Workweek Schedule (AWS) election to get daily-OT relief up to 10 hours. 

• Consider 9/80 if you value an every-other-Friday off and can redefine the workweek (start/end at the split-day midpoint) to avoid accidental overtime. Averaging over two weeks is not allowed. 

• UK lens: any pattern must fit the 48-hour average (unless there’s an opt-out) and rest rules. 

Benchmarks & real-world examples

Use these to benchmark expectations when comparing 5/40 to four-day or compressed patterns.

What other employers saw

• UK national four-day week pilots: Continuation rates remained very high. The 2022 UK trial (61 firms, ~2,900 workers) reported strong outcomes and most firms continued; follow-on pilots report near-universal continuation into 2024–2025.

• Public sector (England): South Cambridgeshire District Council’s 32-hour pilot reported ~39% lower turnover, better recruitment, and stable or improved service metrics; it has remained politically debated through 2024–2025.

• Safety angle: US agencies highlight higher fatigue risk with extended/irregular shifts; use that when weighing 4/10 or 12-hour options against a 5/40 baseline.

👉 Manager takeaway: Trials can work, but only with precise timekeeping, defined workweeks, and early fatigue controls.

How Shiftbase makes 5/40 effortless

Turn your five-eights into a clean, compliant rota without extra admin.

• Plan with confidence. Build and publish rotas in minutes with employee scheduling copy week templates, set a fixed workweek, and stagger start/end times for coverage.
• Track what’s worked, automatically. Capture hours via web, mobile, or kiosk using time tracking. Apply weekly overtime rules (US) and monitor average hours (UK) with audit-ready timesheets and exports.
• Manage leave without clashes. Centralise holiday, sickness, and TOIL using absence management so approved time off syncs to the rota and prevents over-scheduling.
• See costs before you publish. Forecast labour spend, spot overtime risk, and compare 5/40 vs 4/10 scenarios by duplicating schedules, then publish only the winner.

👉 Ready to simplify your 5/40? Try Shiftbase free for 14 days.