/* The server has been signalled to change state. */
        if (conn->background_compact.signalled) {
            /* If configured to run once, start from the beginning. */
            if (conn->background_compact.run_once) {
                WT_ASSERT(session, running);

diff --git a/src/conn/conn_compact.c b/src/conn/conn_compact.c
index 1184ad328..c0a7b32c0 100644
--- a/src/conn/conn_compact.c
+++ b/src/conn/conn_compact.c
@@ -534,6 +534,9 @@ __background_compact_server(void *arg)
         if (!__background_compact_server_run_chk(session))
             break;
 
+        if(conn->background_compact.run_once)
+            __wt_sleep(5, 0);
+
         __wt_spin_lock(session, &conn->background_compact.lock);
         running = conn->background_compact.running;
 
diff --git a/test/suite/test_compact06.py b/test/suite/test_compact06.py
index 4d31526ca..423e426d6 100644
--- a/test/suite/test_compact06.py
+++ b/test/suite/test_compact06.py
@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@ class test_compact06(wttest.WiredTigerTestCase):
         # Enable background and configure it to run once. Don't use the helper function as the
         # server may go to sleep before we have the time to check it is actually running.
         self.session.compact(None, 'background=true,run_once=true')
-
+        time.sleep(2)
+        self.session.compact(None, 'background=false')
         # Wait for background compaction to process the HS table. Even though there is no work to
         # do, it is considered as a success.
         while self.get_bg_compaction_success() == 1: