Spain to trial four-day week for smaller businesses

Spanish companies with fewer than 250 employees can apply for a pilot government scheme to reduce their working week to four days.

The Spanish government has given eligible employers a month to apply for the four-day working week scheme, which will cost €9.6m (£8.5m) and enable staff to still receive full pay.

The project was first announced in December, shortly after a successful UK pilot, where a number of companies involved have decided to retain the shorter working week. This was the largest trial of a four-day working week so far.

Employers will be partially compensated during the pilot, receiving up to €200,000 per company, alongside the consultancy costs of designing new work schemes.

Successful applicants will be required to run the trial for at least two years, after which their performance results will be audited.

Around 25-30% of employees at these companies will work at least 10% fewer hours on full salary.

Separately, the Spanish coastal city of Valencia is running its own month-long trial of four-day working, with the council arranging for local holidays to fall on four consecutive Mondays.

The Valencia project has been arranged in partnership with trade unions, employers, neighbourhood organisations and other bodies.

In Ireland, all companies involved in a four-day working week trial at the end of last year said they would continue with the arrangement.

The Spanish government will respond to applications by November 2023.

Supporters of shorter working weeks claim the arrangement can help workers achieve a better work-life balance while remaining highly productive during the shorter hours.

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Some of the challenges associated with running a four-day week include ensuring there is adequate cover on ‘off’ days and the potential for employees to still access email and effectively work five days anyway, negating the benefits.

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