I was reflecting, the other day, following the announcement of a Ibex 35 company to extend the workweek four days to his staff in Spain, about the benefits of this brave decision. The technological advances have made it possible to do the same job in much less time. And very soon the artificial intelligence it will change all industries in all countries, including how and where we work.
All this is causing the working week of four days subject to analysis by companies and governments. The Government of Spain, following the path of Belgium, the United Kingdom or Iceland, has put out for public consultation the draft order establishing the regulatory bases to promote the improvement of productivity in small and medium-sized industrial companies, through pilot projects of reduction of the working day. Their goal, to test whether these initiatives boost productivity in small and medium businesses Spanish industrial companies, essential for our productive fabric.
From the different initiatives emerge positive results for companies and workers, such as an increase in productivity, since overworked employees are less productive; or an improvement in equal opportunities when it comes to reconcile professional life with work. There is also an improvement of commitment of employees (’employee engagement’), who have more time to rest, improving their wellness physical and mental. Without forgetting the impact on the reduction of the carbon footprint by reducing travel, at a time of special relevance in meeting the ESG objectives.
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However, in order to assess its implantationit is also necessary to analyze possible unwanted effectssuch as the shortage of talent in certain sectors and industries, which makes it impossible to adequately cover the demand of certain profiles and reconsider going back to the five-day week. Not all the positions can benefit from this reduced working week, and it may be complex manage those who have to serve customers every day, schedule internal meetings or manage unforeseen or emergency situations that require full availability of the employees. Even despite the positive effects on the Healthin certain cases it could generate stress for having to get the job done in four days without losing that extra day off. Or internal inequities if this measure were applied only in certain departments and not to all employees.
The four-day workweek is not a unique solution that is valid for all organizations. In any case, everything seems to indicate that we can start thinking about working weeks smaller in an environment where employees demand more flexibility. A myth that sooner or later could become reality.