HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

The Spanish government is considering the possibility of introducing a four-day workweek.

Pablo Iglesias, Spain’s deputy Prime Minister and leader of the coalitions Unidos Podemos confirmed the possibility stating that the move would reduce the number of weekly working hours from the current 37.5 to 32.

In comments to state-broadcaster, RTVE Iglesias said the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy would explore the idea which would ultimately lead to more job creation over the long-term.

"We have always been in favour of reducing working hours. The proposal is interesting and I know that the Ministry of Labor of Yolanda Díaz is studying it, and within the framework of social dialogue it will be explored because it would undoubtedly favour the generation of employment," he said.

The need to create more jobs is an obvious desire given the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the labour market in recent months.

Working fewer hours would be very appealing to the vast majority of employees, however, it does come with its downsides. For many of us, working fewer hours could potentially mean earning less money.

The idea of a four-day week is not a new concept and has been around for many years, however, the pandemic has caused the governments of the world to consider the impact it has had on jobs, as well as the wellbeing and inequality of workers.

Director of the International Center for Work and Family, Nuria Chinchilla told 20minutos that she doubted the effectiveness of such an initiative and that what workers really need was “flexibility”.

“What would be useful, is that companies where possible, would offer flexible hours depending on their needs,” she said.

Juan Pedro Sánchez, a business psychologist and expert in improving business productivity, was more upbeat on the proposals saying it was a “magnificent” idea as long as it did not impact productivity.

“Undoubtedly, having an additional day off will allow us to dedicate more time to personal and family life. However, it is important that reconciliation can be carried out on a daily basis. We must not forget that work and rest are two sides of the same coin: productivity,” he said.

A number of countries and businesses have already adopted or trialled the idea of a shorter workweek in order to motivate their staff as well as reduce anxiety, stress and at the same time increase productivity.

Perpetual Garden, a New Zealand based legal firm allowed its workers to work for four days for the same pay.

They found it to be a “complete success” with 78% of the 250 staff members saying they were better able to manage their work-life balance. Their stress levels were also reduced by 7% and saw satisfaction levels increase by 5%.

In the U.S, software giant Microsoft allowed its 2,600 staff members in Japan to work for just four days a week giving them three days of rest. The result was that productivity increased by a whopping 40%. There was also no requirement to reduce their salaries.

In addition, the company also managed to reduce their electricity consumption by 23.1%, save 58.7% on printer ink and paper, and reduced the number of requested days off by staff by 25.4%. More video conferencing was also introduced which cut down on excessive meetings.

In 2008, the state of Utah in the United States adopted a four-day week where they continued to work for 40 hours a week but over a shorter period. The results were said to be “very beneficial” with 82% of workers reportedly being satisfied by the changes in work-life balance.

So what’s your view? Would you like to see the introduction of a four-day workweek here in Spain? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.

Source: 20minutos

Image by David Mark from Pixabay