How Long Is A Business Day?

The standard business day in the UK is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. That being said, there are many industries in which a business day expands beyond these times by a matter of hours, and some have fully embraced Saturday as part of their standard business week.

But what are the rules behind how long these days should be, and how does it affect how one approaches a business or operates throughout the week? In this article, Real Business will outline the specifics of what constitutes a business day, as well as alternatives and industry-specific definitions.

What Determines Standard Business Hours And Days?

The standard working day in the UK has always been 9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Businesses nationwide’s first instinct is to align themselves with these typical business hours, for various reasons:

• Daylight – Banal as it may sound, humans enjoy sunlight and prefer to operate during the day. Skipping the scientific and evolutionary lecture as to why, having a business day run from 9 am – 5 pm creates a perfect window before the sun begins to fall.
• Free time – These business hours leave the potential for free time in hours before and after.
• Simplicity – By having standard business days and hours within this accessible timeframe, businesses and customers nationwide can align in operating hours.

What Is A Business Day?

A business day is defined as a day when businesses are open and operational. It is a term used to illustrate availability to other businesses and clients, with the most common example perhaps being an estimation of how long a delivery may take. Bear in mind, however, that business days exclude holidays, meaning public holidays such as Christmas or bank holidays.

Business days do not include public holidays, which are recognised by the government. This exclusion ensures that deadlines and schedules are realistic and achievable, taking into account the days when normal business operations are paused. Accepted public holidays differ by country and region, and companies can reserve the right to observe their holidays.

What Businesses And Industries Rely On Standard Business Days?

The following are some businesses and industries that rely on standard business days for alignment purposes:

1. Banking and Financial Services – Banks, investment firms, and financial institutions typically operate on standard business days and hours. Coordination is a huge thing in this industry, and if business days were different, then there would be many delays and issues regarding time-sensitive processes, such as payment expectations.
2. Legal Services – Many, many hours go into law firms, courts and the like. As a result, there absolutely must be a period of time where all relevant parties engage in processes that require coming together, such as a court case.
3. Government Services – The processes of items such as passports, licenses etc. take a lot of administration behind the scenes, with many checks and balances slowing the process down.
4. Corporate Offices – Client meetings, reports, and business transactions are conducted during standard business day times in order to create efficient communication.
5. Educational Institutions – Schools, universities, and administrative offices rely on standard business day hours to coordinate with parents and other government agencies.

Alternative UK Working Hours

When a business takes up alternative hours, it is often out of necessity, as many businesses purposefully align with the standard business days’ working hours where possible. Examples of these can be:

• Retail – In the retail sector, employees tend to work evenings and weekends when the shops are open due to the typical business day usually also being days the average person works, making them unavailable to visit.
• Hospitality – In this industry, employees must work unsociable hours to manage late arrivals and prepare the establishment for the morning rush.
• Healthcare – Illnesses and injuries do not abide by standard business hours, and as a result, the healthcare industry has many facilities that are open 24/7, such as hospitals.

Should Your Company Follow Normal Business Week Hours?

Most businesses choose to align with standard business days, but should yours? Employers must make these decisions for both the good of their employees, business operations and clients. In truth, it’s best to consult this against your industry, and your USPs. Studies have shown that modern businesses do better when they align their working conditions with their employees first and foremost, leading to significant improvements in productivity.

For instance, research by Stanford University found that productivity per hour declines sharply when a person works more than 50 hours a week, with diminishing returns affecting employees to the point that 70 hours yields only around 55 hours of work. This indicates that working beyond standard hours can be counterproductive.

Companies that implement flexible working schedules report more positive outcomes, with a recent trial in the UK conducted by 4 Day Week Global seeing 92% of participating companies continue with a four-day workweek after the trial finished. Businesses reported a 35% increase in productivity, while employees experienced lower stress and improved work-life balance.

Adapt your business not to meet the typical business day hours, but to unlock worker potential.

Business Days In Contracts And Agreements

As explained before, business days are used as a measure of time, cited within contracts, agreements, and terms of services to specify durations of projects or actions. A contract may state that a project must be completed within seven business days, meaning to get a sense of how long this is, you would need to go through calendar days excluding public holidays and otherwise unavailable dates.

It’s worthwhile noting that there may be confusion in the calculation, however. For example, one business day shipping should mean that the order will be delivered on the next business day after it is shipped, excluding weekends and public holidays – but it may not be the case due to some people’s error in understanding. From the time that it’s being dispatched, the business day plays its role as a measure of time, not before. Therefore, if for whatever reason the item doesn’t get shipped, then the one-business-day delivery statement will not be in effect.

As far as international business, a business day is likely to not be standard at all, due to the conventions of different countries and regions. Furthermore, in cases where different countries abide by the same business day format that the UK does, remember that time zone plays a part in shifting availability, and you may have to plan ahead or behind for things such as communication and correspondence.

Conclusion

The traditional business day of 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, is here to stay, with much talk of Saturday being added to the roster. Whilst this model is subject to change, there are a great many chains of businesses and companies that rely on the alignment for smooth, profitable business ventures. Whilst for many this means simply holding the line, for others, it may mean business days become 24/7.

The future of the working day in the UK remains an open question, but with the UK economy and the global economy in a precarious place, reducing working hours appears unlikely in most industries. Businesses will need to find their own optimal working days in line with business needs, employment law and employee wellbeing. Understanding how long is a business day is crucial for effective time management and scheduling.

FAQ: Which Laws Govern UK Normal Business Hours?

The UK government has no laws or regulations that outright govern what constitutes a standard business day, but the following are the closest:

• Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) – This is the main legislation that outlines the limit of how much any one person can work over various lengths of time:
  • Maximum weekly working time of 48 hours (average over 17 weeks).
  • Daily rest (11 consecutive hours in 24 hours).
  • Weekly rest (24 hours of uninterrupted rest in 7 days or 48 hours in 14 days).
  • Rest breaks during shifts (20 minutes if working more than 6 hours).
  • Night working limits (maximum 8 hours on average over 24 hours).
• Employment Rights Act 1996 – This law covers the right to written terms and conditions of employment, and protections against unfair dismissal.
• National Minimum Wage Act 1998 – This law ensures that workers are paid fairly for the hours they work.
• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – This law requires employers to ensure a safe working environment, often making determinations about how many hours a person can work.

FAQ: Has remote and hybrid working changed business days?

The arrival of the gig economy, technological advances, changes in culture, and perhaps above all else, the 2020 quarantine contributed greatly to establishing remote and hybrid working as a closely accepted alternative to standard working conditions. With these changes we have also seen the concept of a standard business day be threatened.

The flexibility of hybrid and remote working means that business days are expanded, as the conditions of these types of working formats eliminate time-sensitive contexts such as delivery, availability, and overall flexibility.

FAQ: What are the laws protecting standard working hours for employers?

There are no laws protecting workers from having their standard working days or hours changed. As far as this topic is concerned, third parties outside of the government are responsible.

Over the past 150 years, trade unions have revolutionised the employment landscape and held exploitative companies to account, despite them being viewed as being militant and radical in extreme cases. Together, unions can campaign for what they believe to be fair hours, wages, or working conditions, including a change from normal business operations to more hybridised or entirely remote work.