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Spain to Launch 4-Day Work Week Trial
Spain Will Become the First to Trial a 4-Day Work Week
Compared to the US, Europe is known for being leagues ahead in regards to the work-life balance. And while things like paid vacation days, sick leave, and parental leave are a given in the EU, there is always room for improving the work-life balance in any country.
Spain recently announced that they are planning to introduce a four-day workweek. The idea, which was proposed by Más País (a Spanish political party) was recently approved by the government for a pilot program. While the details of the trial are still being discussed, Más País has proposed a three-year, 50-million-euro project that would allow companies to try reducing employee hours with little to no risk of job loss or salary reduction.
Talk of a reduced work week is not new. In fact, France passed a weekly working cap at 35 hours a week back in 1998, but since then other countries have been slow or reluctant to follow suit. Sweden progressively trialed the 6-hour work day on a very small scale from 2015 to 2017 and, even though the employees reported less sick days and having more energy, no real change on a national level seemed to come from it.
Larger companies, however, such as Microsoft and Google have tested their models of the 4-day work week in hopes of boosting productivity. Microsoft, for example, ran an experiment in Japan (a country known for have long working hours) called "Work-Life Choice Challenge" where they closed offices every Friday in August of 2019. Microsoft found that labor productivity increased by 39.9% compared with the same month of the previous year.
And while many other countries, including New Zealand, Germany, and the UK have talked about possibly also adopting a 4-day workweek, no trials have been conducted, meaning Spain could become the first. The trial could start as soon as this fall.
With burnout over home office and corona-related stress, this 32-hours work week might just be the answer to helping the country heal both economically and mentally. If all goes well, other countries could also start their own trials to adopt the 4-day workweek.
What do you think, Pirates? Would this work for the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. We would love to hear from you!