Definition: A compressed workweek is a work schedule that fits a full-time number of hours into fewer than the usual number of workdays, for example four 10-hour days (4/10) or 80 hours over nine days in a two-week period (9/80).
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A compressed workweek keeps total hours the same while changing how they are distributed. Employees get an extra day off each week or every other week, and employers can sometimes extend daily coverage, reduce shift handoffs, or save on commuting-related absences. Compressed schedules are common in manufacturing, healthcare, public works, call centers, and field services.
| Schedule | Pattern | Hours per week | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/10 | Four 10-hour days | 40 | 3 per week |
| 9/80 | Eight 9-hour days, one 8-hour day, one day off over two weeks | 40 each week if the workweek is set correctly | 1 extra day every other week |
| 3/12 | Three 12-hour shifts | 36 | 4 per week |
| 4.5-day week | Four 9-hour days and a 4-hour day | 40 | Half day plus weekend |
The federal overtime rule is weekly. DOL Fact Sheet #23 requires overtime at not less than time and one-half the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. It also says the FLSA does not require any daily overtime or impose a daily hour limit, and that there is no limit on weekly hours for employees 16 and older. Under federal law alone, a 4/10 schedule with 40 hours in the workweek does not create overtime.
The same fact sheet defines the workweek as “a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours — seven consecutive 24-hour periods,” which need not coincide with the calendar week and may begin on any day and at any hour. It also states that averaging hours over two or more weeks is not permitted. These two rules are the key to a compliant 9/80 schedule.
Hypothetical: A maintenance technician works Monday through Thursday 9 hours each day, Friday of week one 8 hours, then Monday through Thursday of week two 9 hours each day, and has Friday of week two off. Total: 80 hours.
Because DOL allows a workweek to begin on any day and hour, employers can define the 9/80 workweek this way, as long as it is fixed and regularly recurring and not changed just to avoid overtime. Check results with the overtime calculator.
Some states measure overtime by the day as well as the week. According to the California Labor Commissioner’s overtime FAQ, California generally requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 8 in a workday, and double time for hours over 12 in a workday. The same page notes that under most wage orders, alternative workweek schedules such as four 10-hour days or three 12-hour days are handled differently for scheduling and overtime computation. In practice, a 4/10 schedule in California may create daily overtime unless a valid alternative workweek schedule is in place. Review the requirements in each state where you run compressed schedules.
Compressed schedules raise practical leave questions. If PTO is accrued and used in hours, an employee on a 4/10 schedule needs 10 hours of PTO to cover a full day off, while an 8-hour employee needs only 8. Explain this before the schedule starts so employees are not surprised when a week of vacation consumes 40 hours either way, but in four days rather than five. Holidays need a similar decision. Because the DOL states the FLSA does not require payment for time not worked such as holidays, the policy is up to you: some employers credit 10 hours on a 10-hour day, others credit 8 and let employees make up the difference with PTO or by working extra hours in the same workweek.
Also consider how the schedule interacts with breaks. A 10- or 12-hour shift typically needs at least one meal period and multiple rest breaks, and some state laws set specific requirements by shift length.
EZTime makes compressed schedules easy to build and track. Shift templates let you save 4/10, 9/80, or 3/12 patterns and reuse them, AI shift scheduling helps stagger days off for coverage, and shift swaps with approval handle conflicts. Employees clock in with the GPS mobile time clock with geofencing, NFC tags, tablet kiosk, or biometric clocks, overtime and break alerts flag workweeks approaching the threshold, and payroll-ready Excel/PDF exports work with any payroll software. See the scheduling software and pricing, from $2/employee/month with a 14-day trial. Related: workweek.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Under the FLSA, overtime is based on hours over 40 in a workweek, so four 10-hour days totaling 40 hours does not create federal overtime. States with daily overtime rules, such as California, may differ.
By defining the workweek to start in the middle of the 8-hour day, so each workweek contains 40 hours. DOL allows a workweek to begin on any day and hour, but it must be fixed and regularly recurring.
No. DOL Fact Sheet #23 states that averaging of hours over two or more weeks is not permitted.
Federal law does not require holiday pay, so it depends on your policy. Decide in advance whether a holiday is credited as 8 hours or the employee’s scheduled shift length.