The four day week was one of the proposals the Socialists signed up to with Podemos and other left wing parties to secure enough votes to form the coalition government. Now it’s time for central government to deliver. A number of large private companies, such as Telefonica, are already experimenting and the regional government in Valencia has introduced the “Valencia week” with a growing number of companies trying it out.
What is certain is that while the four day week may not be grabbing the headlines, it is certainly coming of age and could very soon become a reality and, according to comments made by the president of Más País, Iñigo Errejón, one of the founding fathers of Podemos, the Balearics could be the next region to test a pilot scheme.
From New Zealand to Germany, the idea has been steadily gaining ground globally. “Spain is one of the countries where workers put in more hours than the European average. But we’re not among the most productive countries,” said Errejón. “I maintain that working more hours does not mean working better.” And a growing number of companies agree.
One of the first in Spain to adopt it has reported that they saw a reduction in absenteeism, productivity went up and workers said they were happier plus in a region so dependent on tourism, which can be 24/7, it would open to the doors for greater job creation.