Valencia 4 Day Work Week
Valencia has become the first city in the world to implement a 4-Day Work Week Trial. Let’s discuss the pilot in more detail
4 Day Work Week in Valencia
Valencia has become the first city in the world to implement a 4-Day Work Week Trial. While the Spanish government initiated a 4-day workweek trial for the entire country, the experiment conducted in Valencia was more holistic, covering the entire city’s population.
Framework of 4-Day Work Week in Valencia
The 4-day workweek experiment in Valencia was designed with four consecutive Mondays off. Three scheduled holidays naturally fell on Mondays.
Additionally, the public holiday for the feast of San Vicente Mártir, the city’s patron saint, was moved from January 22 to April 14 to initiate this study. This trial took place from April 10 to May 7, 2023, creating four-day workweeks throughout the month.
Expected Results
The sole purpose of this 4-day working week trial was to analyze the impact of a shorter work week on the city’s residents.
This program was implemented following the successful pilot programs in various countries and was expected to result in lower burnout rates, higher productivity, improved work-life balance, and overall well-being.
Besides, as the entire city will be observing the 32-hour work week for a month, the impact on the overall society environment can also be determined as a result of this experimentation.
Another important aspect of this experimentation was that the remuneration of people would not be compromised because of the shorter work week. They will be paid the same and work for fewer hours to analyze the impact.
Working Hours in Valencia
A 40-hour work week is a norm in Valencia. A typical work day in Valencia, Spain, is divided into two halves by A Siesta. Siesta is a 3-hour long midday break.
The working hours are from 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The next shift starts at 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. and goes up to 8:00 p.m.
During this long break, most people go home for meals, naps, and enjoy time with their families. Monday to Friday are the official working days, while the private shops are also open on Saturday.
4 Day Work Week in Spain
In conjunction with the Valencia 4 day work week pilot, the Spanish government agreed to invest 50 million euros (the equivalent of $60 million) into a three-year, 4 day work week trial program.
Approximately 200 companies and 3,000–6,000 employees are expected to participate. Employees will work 32 hours a week without pay reduction. The country’s government will cover 100% of the companies’ costs the first year, 50% the second year, and 33% during the final year of the trial.
Wrapping it up
Once the results of this experiment will be published, only then can a definitive statement be made. However, the previous 4-day workweek experiment in other countries indicated positive results regarding productivity and well-being.
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