The working day, its adaptation, and its progressive reduction have been a topic of long-standing debate for years. Moving toward a 37-hour work week is one of the priorities of the current government, led by the Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz.
Component 23 of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, "New public policies for a dynamic, resilient, and inclusive labor market," also establishes the establishment of reduced working hours as a priority.
It's important to note that labor issues have been a key focus of the socialist government, which has attempted, among other things, to align the working day with the increase in the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI).
Collective bargaining will be the fundamental mechanism of social dialogue through which employers, their organizations, and unions can agree on appropriate working conditions and establish labor relations (ILO definition) that will balance the reduction of working hours and the increase in wages (SMI).
In Spain, until fairly recently, the working day had not undergone any changes. Social changes, the clear need to balance work and family life, and the advancement of emotional salary mean that time at work and its management must evolve.
The average worker in Spain works 1,754.4 hours per year. This is approximately 39 hours per week. In the Netherlands, the working week is 33.2 hours, and in Greece, 41. If we analyze current collective bargaining agreements, we see that the vast majority have a working week of less than 40 hours.
The Government's objective is to progressively reduce the working week, going to 38.5 hours per week in 2024 and to 37.5 in 2025. To achieve this, adjustments will have to be made in companies regarding HR management and legal changes, especially in Article 34 of the Royal Legislative Decree 2/2015, of October 23, approving the consolidated text of the Workers' Statute Law, It establishes that “The length of the working day will be that agreed upon in collective agreements or employment contracts…The maximum length of the ordinary working day will be forty hours of effective work per week on average, calculated annually.”
This shift toward shorter working hours must take into account the characteristics and specificities of the productive sectors, since each has its own defining characteristics that must be managed individually.
Human Resources through HR and Template planning processes must, through a PLANNED PROCESS This is developed within the framework of the company's integrated strategy, enabling the organization to have the necessary Human Capital/Talent available at all times and in the right place, so that it can achieve its business objectives and goals within the established timeframe and manner. All of this is done in a balanced manner, satisfying the needs of all stakeholders, including the working day.
In order to determine the necessary staff and adapt it to the working day, the following concepts, among others, must be taken into account:
- Workload. The amount of work that a person, or group of people, must perform in a given period of time. Workload is defined by physical workload, mental demands, and exposure to environmental conditions (noise, lighting, temperature, ventilation, etc.).
The methods used, the tools and equipment used, will also need to be taken into account…
Finally, the individual's level of training will also influence each worker's subjective and perceived workload.
- Predictable Work Pace. When determining the predictable and controlled workload for an employee, techniques such as time studies, work sampling, activity diagrams, repetitive or non-repetitive work flows, and so on can be used, making it relatively easy to determine the workloads for each job.
- Random Work RhythmProduction rates may depend on the time of day, week, fortnight, season, etc.
- Flexibility. The ability for companies to adapt their personnel needs based on fluctuations in demand for their services or products.
A poor alignment between HR management and the workday can lead to company oversizing, duplication of functions, poor customer service, or missed delivery deadlines. All of this can have repercussions on the work environment.
It's more than evident that the 4-hour workday and its implementation will be complicated because, in my opinion, it compromises production, labor relations, and overall HR management. But that's another debate for us.
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