Is it wrong to charge more for Sunday work?

No — it costs more to deliver, in wages and in your own time. Charging for it is honest, and it also stops it being the default.

What if my competitors work Sundays and I lose work?

You may lose some. Owners who protect one day usually find the work redistributes rather than disappears, but that is a real trade-off to make with open eyes.

What does the answer depend on?

Your own convictions, which nobody else should settle for you. What is not a conviction question is whether the business is structured so that you have no choice.

← Answers

Should I work on Sundays?

This is a conviction question and people who share your beliefs land in different places on it. What is worth separating: whether you are choosing to work, or whether the business is built so you have no choice. The second is the fixable part, and it is usually the real problem.

Choosing to and having to are different

An owner who works Sunday because an emergency call came in has made a decision. An owner who works every Sunday because the week does not fit into six days has a business that requires it — and no amount of conviction resolves that, because the pressure returns next week.

What consistently working seven days actually costs

Judgement first. Decisions made tired are worse, and the ones made worst are the ones about people and price. Then your household, which is carrying a cost that appears on no statement. Rest is an input to the business, not a reward for finishing.

It sets the standard for everyone else

A crew watching an owner work every Sunday learns what is expected, whatever the handbook says. If you would not want them living that way, it is worth noticing that you are modelling it.

Emergencies are a real category

Trades that keep people warm, dry and safe get genuine emergencies, and most traditions have always made room for necessary work. The question is whether "emergency" has quietly expanded to mean "anything a customer asked for".

Also asked

Is it wrong to charge more for Sunday work?: No — it costs more to deliver, in wages and in your own time. Charging for it is honest, and it also stops it being the default.
What if my competitors work Sundays and I lose work?: You may lose some. Owners who protect one day usually find the work redistributes rather than disappears, but that is a real trade-off to make with open eyes.
What does the answer depend on?: Your own convictions, which nobody else should settle for you. What is not a conviction question is whether the business is structured so that you have no choice.

Written for your trade

This is the kind of thing Solomon works through with owners using their own numbers. See how it works →