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Latest NewsFour-day weekSpainWork-life balance

Spain to trial four-day week for smaller businesses

by Jo Faragher 17 Apr 2023
by Jo Faragher 17 Apr 2023 Valencia has launched its own four-day week pilot, with four consecutive weekly bank holidays in April and May
Shutterstock
Valencia has launched its own four-day week pilot, with four consecutive weekly bank holidays in April and May
Shutterstock

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.

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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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Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

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