working week
B1Neutral, common in professional and administrative contexts.
Definition
Meaning
The part of the week (typically Monday to Friday) during which work is done.
The standard number of days or hours considered full-time employment; often used in discussions of labour law, contracts, and work-life balance.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Focuses on the temporal structure of employment, not the nature of the work. Implies a contrast with the 'weekend'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, 'working week' is standard. In American English, 'workweek' is the common single-word form.
Connotations
Identical in meaning. The two-word form can sound slightly more formal or technical in AmE.
Frequency
"Working week" is dominant in the UK; "workweek" is dominant in the US. The British form is understood but less common in American usage.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
the working weeka [number]-hour working weeka [adjective] working weekVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Nine-to-five (routine)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in contracts, HR policies, and discussions of productivity (e.g., 'We are trialling a four-day working week.').
Academic
Used in sociology, economics, and labour studies (e.g., 'Historical trends in the length of the working week.').
Everyday
Common in conversations about schedules and routines (e.g., 'I'm always exhausted by the end of the working week.').
Technical
Used in legal and regulatory texts defining employee rights and standard hours.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The working-week hours are clearly stated in your contract.
- A four-day working-week trial proved very popular.
American English
- The workweek schedule is posted online.
- They are considering a four-day workweek policy.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My working week is from Monday to Friday.
- I don't work at the weekend, only in the working week.
- A standard working week in this company is 37.5 hours.
- I try to finish all my major tasks by Friday afternoon, so I can relax at the weekend.
- The union is negotiating to reduce the working week to 35 hours without a loss of pay.
- With my flexible schedule, I can condense my working week into four longer days.
- The proposed legislation aims to empower employees to request a compressed working week, fundamentally altering the traditional five-day model.
- Studies on the four-day working week have shown sustained increases in productivity and employee well-being.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a calendar: the WORKING WEEK is the part that's filled in with colour, while the weekend is blank.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A RESOURCE / A CONTAINER (The week is divided into containers for work and rest).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating as "трудящаяся неделя". Use "рабочая неделя".
- Don't confuse with "business week", which is "деловая неделя" and often implies the Monday-Friday cycle in commerce.
Common Mistakes
- Using "working week" as a verb (e.g., 'I working week hard').
- Confusing 'working week' with 'work week' or 'workweek' without regard for regional preference.
- Spelling as 'workweek' in a UK context.
Practice
Quiz
Which term is most commonly used in American English?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while traditionally five days (Monday-Friday), the length is defined by contract or culture. It can be four, six, or any number of days.
'Working week' refers to an individual's scheduled work days/hours. 'Business week' (more common in AmE) often refers to the Monday-Friday period when commerce and offices are generally open.
When used as a noun phrase, no hyphen is standard ('during the working week'). When used as a compound adjective before a noun, a hyphen is often used ('a 40-hour working-week schedule').
It depends on context. In a legal or contractual sense, it usually refers to paid working hours, which may exclude breaks. In casual conversation, it often means the period from start to finish of the workday.