Some days ago, I could listen, on the radio, how they were talking about the possibility of changing the time zone, in Spain, in order to become working hours more rational. Then, I thought that perhaps it should be a good theme for talking about it here in my blog.I hope that you think that it is such an interesting them as I think.
To reconcile, returning to Greenwich.What a coincidence…..: few days ago has been celebrate the delivery of “The Planet Award” (the most famous literary Contest in Spain).Well, this year, the winner has been the young writer from Madrid, Lorenzo Silva, with his novel “La marca del meridian” (“The mark of the Meridian”), in which, he refers to the Meridian of Greenwich, because he wanted to talk about his desire of disappearing the struggle among Madrid and Barcelona –he was born in Madrid, but he lives in Barcelona and he loves this last city too--.He says that the good luck is that the line that divides Madrid and Barcelona is the Meridian of Greenwich, that is aimaginary line.
But I did not think talk about literature, but the times in Spain.
The Seventh National Congress to streamline Spanish Hours, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, proposed that Spain returns to Greenwich time to improve productivity and better reconcile work and family life.
Adjust time back one hour and shorter meals improve work and family reconciliation, since it allows to have, every day, an hour and a alf for personal life. This is a proposal by Nuria Chinchilla, director of the International Center for Work and Family at IESE, in the VII National Congress Spanish streamline schedules. The change "would have zero cost" and its implementation would be "a matter of political will”. This schedule would have no effect on the biological rhythms of the Spanish, since the clock to adapt solar time. "We would continue eating at two in the afternoon, but our clock mark the one, and would go to work at nine in the morning and leave before six in the evening”.
"Lunch", by "Sandra", at flickr.com
To do so, would that reduce the time workers have to eat-in many cases-two hours 45 minutes (no need to resort to junk food, but cut the time and eat healthy but brief) and get to work and breakfasted without interrupting the morning schedule. "If you go to work at nine and eaten at one, you do not have time for breakfast," he argued Chinchilla. The researcher believes that this new organization "more rational" working time, not only have more time for leisure and to improve work-life balance of women and men, but that would increase the hours of rest.
Working from 9 to 18 h., With 40 minutes for lunch, would be a sensible solution.
Chinchilla claims that Spain since 1942 is in a "wrong-time zone in Central Europe, and must return to Western Europe", which are Britain, Portugal and the Canary Islands. This is the time zone that corresponds, by its location on the map from the meridian of Greenwich, which determines your sun time.
Reprioritize
President ARHOE conference organizer, Ignacio Buqueras, laments that "while in Spain work longer hours, productivity is lower." Buqueras has cited several studies that conclude that "the reconciliation improves productivity by 19 percent" and that "proper reconciliation policy can reduce absenteeism by 30 percent”.
With actual working hours, "the big problem is that parents do not raise their children”,lamented Buqueras, who pointed out that in a household "Daddy Google is responding to many questions from the children, as their parents arrive at eight or nine at night”.
In Spain, according Buqueras, "We deeply rooted culture of presentism": the important thing is that the boss will see one at work. It is necessary to optimize the time of the working day: a schedule that might be followed by 90% of the population would begin between half past seven and half past nine and end at five to six, with a stop of 40 minutes to eat and having breakfast in a complete and correct.
The Spanish work longer hours than the OECD average, but they have higher productivity.
For the Secretary of State for Health, Social Services and Equality, Juan Manuel Moreno, "it is time to reorder priorities”. Moreno insisted that, according to figures from INE, 20 percent of the Spanish spend an average of two hours a day to care for children, "which means that the other 80 percent is less than two hours or no care their children”.
"Why not get a schedule change if everyone agrees or, at least, no one objects to it?", asks Amando De Miguel. In his view, this reflects "the notion of time" that is in Spain. "It is shameful that the time is limited" and that, "We like it was low, when it is”, says the sociologist.
In his opinion, "the times are not changed by decree and that our concept is increasingly irrational, is a schizophrenia." In the concept of Spanish times comes the idea that "the boss can wait and waste time to others”.
More hours but not more productive
The delegate of Family and Social Services of the City of Madrid, Dolores Navarro, stressed that promotes reconciliation "a model of family life based on shared responsibility" and reduces stress and other illnesses that generates the promotion at work. The reconciliation "and seeks equal opportunities for men and women”.
Navarro, who recalled that, according to the OECD, "the Spanish work an average of 1.690 hours per year compared to an average of 1.413 German". But no more hours means more productivity and more economic health. "Countries where you work fewer hours - Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, France and Norway are among those who have less risk premium”. Streamlining times "positive impact on the economy because it improves the country's productive system make better use of available human resources and increase the efficiency of the company”.
To support this objective, the City has created "Concilia Madrid", a free service involving the Chamber of Commerce and the UGT and CCOO, which in 2011 advised Conciliation twenty companies and organized 18 workshops attended by 350 entrepreneurs. During the last term of the local government adopted the end of the working day to 17 hours in most of their units, "not only to save costs and achieve sustainability, but also to encourage staff Reconciliation".
There is no single answer
The President of the Association of Businessmen and Human Seguriber, Mónica de Oriol, stressed that companies more flexible schedules that these workers are getting more involved. "The settlement goes through telecommuting and flexible. There is no single answer, the business world is very complex. It's not the same to talk of a company that is in the service sector in the industry”.
The Director of the Business Council for Competitiveness, Fernando Casado, remember that according to the latest CIS 45% of the Spanish claims that his company gives few facilities for reconciling family and working life. "The labor reform is positive for labor flexibility. Also liked the idea of spending the holidays to Mondays”.
The Director General of Másfamilia, Rafael Fuertes, stressed that companies have started to become aware of the need for flexible schedules. "The flexible schedule is the main measure of companies to their employees”, he says.
Kind regards,
Luis.
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