While your US team is still negotiating with their alarm clocks and caffeine levels on Monday morning, your colleague in Israel is already cruising through their second workday. Emails have been answered, reports have been drafted and deadlines are being nudged along nicely.
That’s because in Israel, Sunday is the first day of the workweek, and that can give your company a surprisingly big productivity edge.
How the Israeli workweek is structured
The Israeli workweek runs Sunday through Thursday. Friday is a short day, wrapping up in the early afternoon as people prepare for Shabbat, the traditional day of rest that begins Friday at sunset and ends Saturday night. Although some people work half a day on Friday, many employees work longer days Sunday-Thursday to reach the legal requirement of 42 hours a week. They then take off the whole day Friday, spending it shopping, cooking, cleaning and/or enjoying a leisurely brunch at a cafe.
A built-in Sunday crew
From your perspective, having even one team member in Israel can mean:
- Early-week momentum – Your Israeli employee starts projects, answers client emails, and lays groundwork while your US office is closed. By Monday morning, the ball is already rolling.
- Faster client response – If you serve global customers, your Israeli teammate provides live coverage when the US team is offline. This is especially useful if you are a B2C company, with requests for support coming in 24/7, or if you work with companies in Muslim-majority countries, where Friday is a day of rest and Sunday is a workday.
- Smoother operations – Tech bugs, customer issues or urgent reports that pop up over the weekend can often be addressed before your US crew even logs in.
Not everyone works Sundays
It’s important to keep in mind that not all Israelis want to work on Sundays.
While it’s officially a workday, people working for US companies sometimes treat Sunday as a personal day, especially those with flexible schedules or family responsibilities. Fridays in Israel are short and are often swallowed up by errands, grocery runs and Shabbat prep, so having Sunday off can be a great perk.
Whether you’re hiring someone who already lives in Israel or making an arrangement to continue working with your employee after he moves to Israel, you need to clarify whether the work schedule will follow the American workweek or the Israeli one.
How to make it work smoothly
If you’re managing someone in Israel (or thinking of hiring there), here’s how to turn the Sunday factor into an asset:
- Set clear time-zone boundaries – Use shared calendars and time-zone–friendly meeting times. Choose calendars that automatically convert the time, so nobody is confused about when a meeting is taking place.
- Be mindful of weekends – Avoid scheduling Friday deadlines or Saturday check-ins.
- Leverage the Sunday window – Let your Israeli employee use that quiet day for deep work, project prep or tasks that make Monday smoother for everyone.
- Stay flexible – Even if the default is that they work on Sundays, there may be some weeks when they prefer to work on Friday. If they’re working some Israeli evening hours, they may want to occasionally take off for a wedding, bar mitzvah or other event. Flexibility on your part will make for a smoother working relationship.
In an always-on world, having people in different time zones isn’t just convenient, it’s strategic. By embracing the Israeli workweek, you’re not just adapting to another country’s calendar – you’re extending your company’s reach.
