3 day week or 4 day week???

Hi all our company is struggling and I have been offered the choice of a 3 day week or 4 day week.

I would normally go for the 4 day week but it might be better financially for me to go with the 3 day week + claim for the other 2 days, creche, commute etc is a factor here. I will more than likely end up working from home for the other two days anyways to help my boss out and hopethings pick up again after xmas

Can anyone tell me what are the consequences of signing on for the two days are in relation to not signing on at all. Am I biting myself in the ass by signing on and should I try and keep off social welfare at all costs?

4 day week:- is considered full time therefore no SW is payable
3 day week:- SW would be payable for 2 days to compensate for the loss of income

I don't know what other people think but if you can keep off the social welfare do, if everyone else did that, who doesn't really have to have it (i.e use savings, sell the 08 car, take lower paid or different work than you would normally want too. etc) we would be in a stronger position as a country.

Take the 3 day week and sign for the 2 days as it is your stamps you are using and you are entitled to it particularly if you have to pay out childcare etc. Don't mention that you will work from home on those 2 days or you wont get anything!

If you don’t accept the four day week, it's possible you could technically be in breach of the jobseeker benefit conditions in terms of accepting suitable offers of employment and could be disallowed altogether or denied benefit for up to 9 weeks. Family circumstances and rates of pay are factored into how a deciding officer looks at this but there is a risk they could find against you.

I don’t know your full circumstances, childcare costs, travel to work costs, number of children etc., but if at all possible I think you are better off avoiding depending on welfare as you may just get stuck there.

You should do the sums on this, and check out your entitlement to Family Income Supplement and other benefits if you stay in work on a reduced working week.

Sorry, should have made that last bit a little clearer. You can't get FIS and Jobseekers Benefit at the same time. So if you choose the 3-day week and claim JB you won't get FIS; If you choose the 4-day week you may be entitled to FIS.

I am in the same situation, and i was wondering if i dont sign on for the 2 days would that cause a problem, am i paying full stamps in case i am made redundant down the road and need to claim jsb?

If you switch to a 3 day week you're entitled to claim for 3 days jsb as its based on a 6 day working week. If you work 4 days you're not entitled to any JSB as you have to be unemployed for 3 days in the week.

my situation is that i have never worked full week, switched from 4 day to 3 day but not signing on as was part time anyway, but just wondering if this has any impact down the road if the company closes, am i entitled to full redundancy payments and jsa?