The concept of having a Monday to Friday job has a certain allure for many people. But there are definitely some strong advantages to working weekends. From getting paid extra to finding employment easier and not being stuck in traffic. That’s just a taster of the benefits of weekend work. So, with that in mind, is weekend work worth it? And do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of working weekends? Read on to find out the truth for yourself!
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Is weekend work worth it?
The below table highlights the key advantages and disadvantages of weekend employment.
| Weekend work advantages | Weekend work disadvantages |
| Easier to get employed | Miss out on socializing and events |
| May get paid more | Less time with family and friends |
| Suits people who are busy on weekdays | Work can be busier on weekends |
| Can run errands on weekdays | May involve more responsibility |
| Saves money spent socializing on weekends | Less supervisors available for support |
| Can be more laid back | Harder to demonstrate your work worth |
| Can reduce childcare costs |
Working on the weekend often bears negative connotations, particularly if you’re a social butterfly or you merely like the 9 – 5 weekday gigs. But as you can see from the above, there is a strong case to be made for working weekends. That said, there are also some disadvantages to weekend shifts that you have undoubtedly never even considered! So, would weekend work suit you? And could it have some surprising benefits for your career and even your pocket? Find out as we dive in deeper!
Increased depressive symptoms were reported by people who worked in a study of UK men and women. Source
Is Weekend Work Worth It? – Advantages
Easier to get employed
There’s a far greater proportion of people interested in working weekdays than weekends. This makes it easier to secure a weekend job.
Additionally, it creates openings for you to secure a job you may not be able to compete for otherwise. For instance, getting your foot in the door as a weekend journalist, operator, bar tender etc.
Of course, there are some jobs that are almost exclusively weekend jobs anyway, such as DJs.
At a minimum, you can use your weekend job as a stepping stone to get you experience, skills and contacts for your dream job.
You’d be surprised how much easier it is to shine when working weekends when there are less people available to steal your thunder!
Related: Is Part Time Work Easy? Surprising Must Know Factors!
May get paid more
Weekend jobs may run into unsociable hours. For that reason and the fact that people who work Sundays typically get paid more (often time and a half or more), you can benefit from a better wage by sacrificing some of your weekend.
Part-time weekend staff earn an average of $18.82 an hour and an average salary of $35,937 per year.
The average hourly rate for a part-time worker in an average job is around $10 – $17. This could be almost half the hourly rate of a weekend worker!
To give the full perspective of how much you could earn, the average hourly rate for a full-time employee: $29.81 – $33.77.
An average annual part-time salary equates to $26,950. This is a far cry from a weekend salary and the average full-time salary of $44,888.
Evidently, working weekends can have a substantial impact on your earnings, especially compared to how much part-time workers earn.
Suits people who are busy on weekdays
Working weekdays doesn’t suit everybody. This is often the case if you’re studying in school or college or attending to kids or elderly parents on weekdays while your partner or family are out working.
Working a part-time job leaves you with time for attending to family, exercising, hobbies, study and chores throughout the week.
In such scenarios, weekend work may be the better or only alternative if you want to earn some cash.
Having a good work life balance has been reported by a Hudson study as the most important aspect a job hunter is looking for in a new role. This may be more achievable while working a weekend job.
A work life balance is also one of the biggest benefits to a part-time role.
Can run errands on weekdays
Since a large proportion of people work weekdays, they spend their weekends running errands. When you work weekends, you usually have some days off in the week.
These are the perfect opportunity to get food shopping, exercise and run errands while the shops are less busy.
Attending appointments will also be easier as many places are closed on weekends, e.g., banks, dentists, doctors.
You’ll also often be subject to less traffic on weekdays when doing these tasks.
Saves money spent socializing on weekends
Weekends usually consist of fun activities and socializing which can burn a substantial hole in your wallet. Weekday social events are usually more low key and don’t involve spending as much.
By using the weekends to earn money instead of burning it, you work out financially better off.
It’s a double earner really as you also don’t have the chance to spend as much money when you’re out working.
That is provided you don’t spend it all during the week…
Can be more laid back
There are typically less day staff, Supervisors and Managers present on weekends. This makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. You’re not going to be getting as many requests, calls and emails as a result which allows you to get on with your own work.
It also means that you can do the job your way without feeling scrutinized or constantly watched.
Of course, you might be wondering is full time work hard if all you’ve done is part time or weekends.
Tip: Working weekends allows you to avoid rush hour traffic and have a faster commute.
Can reduce childcare costs
When both parents are working weekdays, children are being placed in childcare until they are finished work. If one parent is at home during the week, it can save a ridiculous amount on the cost of childcare.
Having your child looked after for just 1 day less could save you a phenomenal $44.20 – $138.8 per week!
The average savings by reducing childcare 1 less day could equate to $2121.60 per year.
In some instances, it works out cheaper for a parent to work fewer hours and mind their children themselves instead of paying a childcare center to do this.
Tip: Calculate how much it costs to have children in full time childcare and you working weekdays versus you working weekends and children in childcare for shorter periods.
Is Weekend Work Worth It? – Disadvantages
Miss out on socializing and events
FOMO (Fear of missing out) will be one of the biggest challenges for people, especially sociable people or younger workers. Sacrificing your weekends to work usually means foregoing nights out, weekend trips, meeting up with family and attending any parties or events.
Unfortunately, most events fall on weekends. Furthermore, if you’re trying to meet up with friends and family on weekdays, they may be working or studying.
This may lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness as you don’t get to spend time having fun.
Of course, if you’re less sociable, a weekend job is also the most perfect excuse to avoid such events too…
Tip: If you become friends with you weekend co-workers, you could socialize together on weekdays.
Less time with family and friends
If you are working on opposite schedules to your partner, family and friends, it gets difficult to schedule time to meet each other.
Equally if your children come home from college or work to visit at weekends while you’re at work, time together will be limited.
That said, if you’re strategic, you can arrange to meet them after they finish work on weekdays or after you finish work on weekends.
Work can be busier on weekends
Shops, cinemas, activity centers, bars and restaurants are often thronged with people on weekends. This makes for a more hectic workday as you try to cater to all their needs and get the work done.
It can even lead to late nights as shops, bars and nightclubs stay open later. You may end up feeling tired on your days off after you finish work.
This will be more prevalent in jobs where customer service is involved.
May involve more responsibility
With less management around, someone will need to step up and take on some extra duties when the need arises. Anything from opening and closing up shop to completing checklists or dealing with customer complaints could be in this remit.
You could consider this a blessing in disguise if you’re looking to learn more and demonstrate your ability for the role. It also gives you a flavor of what the role entails so you can gauge if that type of work is for you or not.
However, if your weekdays are overshadowed with the anxiety of taking on these responsibilities, or you simply don’t want the extra work, it will be a challenge.
The best thing you can do is see if someone else will take on the extra jobs.
Related: Casual Work v Full Time – A Guide & Which Pays You More?
Less Supervisors available for support
On weekday shifts, Supervisors and Managers are available to support and assist you with any queries or problems you have. Such supports may not be available or may be less readily available.
You may be relying on an on-call Supervisor if you’re lucky. But even at that, addressing issues over the phone is not always as effective.
To add to that, if you want to have a 1:1 with your Supervisor to discuss your progress, talk about holidays etc., these may be more tricky to arrange. It may involve you coming in during the week on your time off to get that one-on-one time.
Harder to demonstrate your work worth
Using a weekend job to get your foot in the door is all well and good if people can see your efforts. However, demonstrating your potential and skills will be more difficult if Supervisors and Managers are not present to see you working in the flesh.
Managers don’t necessarily need to see you working to know that you’re getting the job done. But seeing you working tends to be more effective at demonstrating your work ethic.
This can be counteracted by showing them that you have met necessary deadlines or executed tasks without any problems.
Related: Part Time Work Pros And Cons – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet!
Conclusion
Weekend work may sound daunting if you don’t want to lose out on your social life, family gatherings and lie ins. But once you jump that mental hurdle and try it out, it may not be as bad as it seems.
For some people, working at weekends is the only option, for other people, it’s the preferred option due to the extra pay, less supervision and free weekdays.
I dreaded the thought of working weekends when I was in college, until I realized how much time I still had to do things, I discovered the extra money I had earned and saved. Plus, it taught me how much time I was wasting doing nothing anyway.
Fortunately, weekend work isn’t the only career option. If you would like to gain further knowledge and insights on alternatives to weekend work, then you’re in luck…
Here are some other useful articles I wrote that you should go check out:
- Casual Work v Part Time – 6 Remarkable Differences!
- 13 Surprising Casual Work Pros And Cons For Employer!
- Part Time Work Pros And Cons – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet!
- 4 Day Work Week V 5 Day – Full Of Surprising Facts & Results
- Best 4 Day Work Week Alternatives – 7 Proven Strategies!
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