JOB INTERVIEW.- Culture and People.

Spaniards on the whole have long working hours - so why aren't they more productive?

Tired of longer and longer days, two years ago the all-female workforce at the Spanish division of luxury goods retailer Louis Vuitton decided to stand up to their bosses by dictating new working hours. The day would begin at 7 am, and finish at 3 pm; there would be one hour for lunch, and no meetings in the afternoons. The head of human resources thought about it, and agreed to give the idea a try. As a result, two years later, the 500 women have increased their productivity by 20 percent, while absenteeism has fallen by a third. Most importantly, they have achieved a balance between their work and family commitments that is very uncommon in Spain.

The achievement of the Louis Vuitton workforce was cited repeatedly at a symposium held in Madrid last week to address the widespread problem in Spain of overlong working days. Around 100 experts took part in the event, many through video. And all agreed, from ministers and priests, to academics, bank employees, footballers, cooks, executives, soldiers, and architects, that Spaniards are poor time managers, and that the country's working day is, on average, two hours longer than the rest of the European Union.

A few speakers mentioned the relationship between low productivity levels and what is often seen abroad as the "Spanish siesta work ethic": people arrive late to work, are constantly nipping out for a coffee, take long lunches, have a couple of beers and a snack after work with colleagues, and too many business lunches and dinners.

Is such an approach acceptable any more? Or should Spaniards finish work at 5 pm, like they do in so many other countries?

Many speakers criticized what they called "chair-warmers" - employees who work late but who do very little. Spain, along with Greece and Portugal, has the longest working hours, but is among the EU's least productive nations.

Adapted from http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php?/comments/siesta_work_culture_in_spain_needs_changing/

Original article from http://www.elpais.com/misc/herald/herald.pdf (3,1 MB)