workweek

The legal workweek (in the UK called the working week) varies from nation to nation.^{[clarification needed]} The weekend is a part of the week usually lasting one or two days in which most paid workers do not work (except for those in retail and entertainment where business often needs to be covered seven days a week).

Around the world

Muslim world

In Muslim-majority countries, Friday is a day of prayer, so working week may adjust to allow people time to attend prayer. The legal work week in the Middle East is typically either Saturday through Wednesday (as in Algeria^[1] and Saudi Arabia^[2]), Saturday through Thursday (as in Iran^{[3] [4]}) or Sunday through Thursday as in Egypt, Iraq^[5], Jordan, and Syria^[6]. A working week of Sunday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as the weekend, is becoming more common, with Qatar shifting to this model in 2003, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates^[7] in 2006, Kuwait in 2007, and Oman in 2008. In 2009, formal proposals are also being discussed in Yemen and Saudia Arabia to shift to a Saturday to Thursday work week. This trend is to allow for respect of Fridays as a Sabbath in Muslim countries while also having more working days to overlap with international financial markets.

Australia

In Australia, the working week begins on Monday and ends on Friday. Saturday is considered the weekend, with Sunday the first day of the new week.

China

In China, the working week begins on Monday and ends on Friday. Some people also have half or all of Saturday to work, making their work week 6 days.

Canada

The standard business office workweek in Canada begins on Monday and ends on Friday, 40 hours per week.

Europe

This section requires expansion.

In Europe, the standard full-time working week begins on Monday and ends on Friday. It's the case for France, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg. Most of retail shops are open for business on Saturday, but more rarely on Sunday, depending on country legislation.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the working week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday.^{[citation needed]}

Israel

For most Israelis, the workweek begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday or Friday at noon^[8] to accommodate the Jewish Sabbath which begins Friday night.

Turkey

In secular Turkey, the workweek is Monday through Friday, as in European countries. However, most shops are open on Saturday and Sunday.

United Kingdom

The normal business working week is from Monday through Friday. However, many shops and services are open on Saturdays and increasingly so on Sundays as well.

The EC Working Time Directive regulates that workers cannot be forced to work for more than 48 hours week on average (although the UK allows individuals to opt out if they so choose). The minimum holiday entitlement is now 28 days per year but that includes Public Holidays. You could technically work 6 hours every day for 337 days in a row. ^[9]

United States

The standard business office workweek in the United States is from Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. However, many service providers are open for business on Saturday and Sunday as well.

History

The notion of a weekly rest is ancient. The Jewish Sabbath, known as Shabbat, is from sunset Friday to when it is fully dark on Saturday. Sunday has traditionally been viewed as a Christian Sabbath, though not all Christians acknowledge it as such. The French Revolutionary Calendar had ten day weeks and allowed decadi, one out of the ten days, as a leisure day.

The ancient sabbath is the origin of the present-day practice of "the weekend," Saturday and Sunday in Western countries, in which most employees usually do not have to go to work. Whereas the sabbath itself was just one day each week, the preceding day also came to be taken off, because it was considered necessary to do preparatory tasks at home that would permit proper sabbath observance the next day, i.e., cessation from work.^{[citation needed]}

Weekends for students

Some colleges and universities afford students the opportunity to choose classes scheduled Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday, giving the students an extra weekend day on Friday. Some college students take advantage of this trend and go out to bars and nightclubs on Thursday nights leading to the phrase "Thursday is the new Friday." ^[10]

See also

Organized Labour portal

• Working time - how much time people spend working in a day, week, or year
• Feria
• Labour and employment law
• Long weekend
• Waiting for the Weekend
• Weekend Warrior
• Work-life balance

References