Spanish daily newspaper 20 Minutos conducted a poll that
showed around 80% of Spaniards would enjoy taking shorter lunch breaks and
finishing work earlier, which would bring Spain into line with most of Europe.
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| The Spanish Siesta days are looking numbered. |
The Mediterranean working culture of Spain has been an
anomaly in Europe for quite some time. Workers in Spain start later, have
longer lunch breaks, and finish later than many other Europeans. Many Spaniards
are ready and willing to change things though.
In order for the change, the government has said on many
occasions that they plan to bring Spain back into Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to
bring the country in line with Europe.
Even so, it would be a while before the working culture
itself is changed. The good news is that the idea of a typical 9-5 working day
isn’t that bad for the majority of Spaniards living in Spain, who would be happy to accept it.
The poll from the newspaper found just over two-thirds of
people polled wouldn’t mind a shorter lunch break. Some Spanish workers –
especially in the retail sector – can face lunch breaks of up to three hours.
People are also becoming dissatisfied with the 11:00-11:30
“breakfast break”. 64.5% of Spaniards surveyed said they would be willing to
lose it, and 82% of Spaniards surveyed said that they would prefer it if the
working day was more condensed.
Many European companies that are established in Spain have already adopted the European style of working hours, such as real estate companies and many others.
Many European companies that are established in Spain have already adopted the European style of working hours, such as real estate companies and many others.
