The reduction of daily working hours will convert the current working day into a day of thirty-five hours a week, compared to the forty hours in which the standard working day is established in most countries. The thirty-five hour day has been implemented in some European countries, such as France, Denmark, Portugal and Germany.
In Spain, the standard working day is forty hours per week. However, there is a political, union and social movement that calls for the reduction of the working day to thirty-five hours. This movement argues that reducing the working day would have benefits for workers, companies and society in general.
Thus, advocates of reducing working hours believe that this measure will bring greater job satisfaction, a greater balance between personal and work life, reduce the risk of stress, and allow people to have more time for leisure and relaxation. training, benefits that will also benefit companies, which will reduce work absenteeism, improve corporate image and increase production.
In Spain, the reduction of the working day to 35 hours has been a historical demand of the unions. In 2023, the Government of Spain has announced that it will study the possibility of reducing the working day to 35 hours, but no decision has yet been made in this regard.
Indeed, companies that have implemented the 35-hour day have reported benefits in terms of productivity, absenteeism and worker satisfaction, however, they have also noted an increase in labor costs, since they must pay workers the same amount. amount, but for fewer hours worked, and in some cases they have had to increase their workforce to make the adjustments in schedules necessary for the normal development of their activity.
In goods-producing and manufacturing companies, the reduction in working hours has required the adaptation of production processes to ensure that objectives continue to be met, especially affecting companies that operate in high-demand sectors or that require a high level of productivity. .
In society, this measure would have an immediate impact on the economy, since the reduction in working hours could affect production and consumption negatively or positively, since it would facilitate the reconciliation of work and personal life.
In any case, it is important that the implementation of the reduction in working hours is carried out by consensus with workers and companies, facilitating the reduction of the increase in salary costs through reductions in social contributions or the training of workers in new technologies. , in order to maintain or increase productivity.
It should also be noted that the implementation of a reduction in working hours should not imply a decrease in income, since it would have a direct impact on the quality of life of workers, penalizing their private economy. Likewise, it should not significantly affect the adaptation of the worker’s working day with respect to the usual working day worked until now, and should even study and evaluate the needs to make the working day more flexible, especially when there is a need to work in shifts. .
The reduction of working hours has been implemented in some European countries, such as France, Denmark, Portugal and Germany with generally positive results, both for workers, companies and society in general.
Thus, workers with reduced hours tend to be more satisfied with their work, and have more time for their personal and family life, facilitating family balance. A reduction in levels of work stress has also been quantified, as workers have more time to rest, and in some sectors it has even facilitated the training and specialization of workers in certain sectors, especially those related to engineering and technology. .
In these countries, companies have reported benefits in terms of productivity, as workers are more motivated, focused and committed to the tasks they perform, absenteeism from work has been reduced, the reduction of the gender gap has been encouraged and it has facilitated women with young children, reconciling family and work life.
Studies carried out in France, Denmark and Portugal have established that worker satisfaction has increased, and that this reduction in working hours has not affected the productivity of companies.
In any case, this quantified reduction means a working day of 7 working hours compared to the current 8 hours, it does not represent a reduction significant enough to be unaffordable by society, companies and workers, and they must be aware that to To reach certain well-being quotas, it is necessary to grant large amounts of commitment, since only by maintaining the required productivity levels will this measure be efficient and generate benefits for everyone, since if it negatively affects productivity, it could lead to a reduction of employment and therefore a reduction in production in some sectors, however, until its implementation it is impossible to predict the behavior of the labor market, as it also depends on other factors such as demand, level of specialization and labor flexibility. .
