How two companies in Spain moved to a four-day week without cutting salaries

 Is it possible to introduce a four-day work week in Spain without pay cuts? Last year, the telecoms giant Telefónica and the fashion brand Desigual announced their decision to offer a third day of rest a week, but the measure was somewhat misleading: the deal involved a salary reduction at both companies.

But two tech companies are truly offering a shorter work week without any salary cuts. Two years ago Software DELSOL, a software developer from Jaén (Andalusia) that employs 185 people, became Spain’s first business to adopt a 36-hour week without reducing workers’ pay. It was followed in September of last year by a German software manufacturer called CIB Group, which has branches in Valencia and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

While the result of this initiative in Spain is still unclear, success has been reported in other countries. The Japanese division of Microsoft ran a month-long trial in August 2019 and productivity grew nearly 40%, the company reported.

“It is still too early to extract specific data,” said Yolanda Roca, spokesperson for the marketing department at CIB Group. “But we haven’t seen any negative effects on productivity, which may in fact have increased. The company has noticed a drop in absenteeism during working hours for private matters or medical appointments, since employees now try to do these things on Fridays.”

Roca added that their four-day policy is also attracting a lot of new job candidates. “There’s been a noticeable increase in job applications,” she said. In a recent news release, CIB Group CEO Ulrich Brandner said he was aware that not all companies can easily introduce such a model, but that it should quite feasible for software developers.

Company officials at Software DELSOL have more conclusive evidence after two years of experimentation with the shorter work week. “The experience has been positive,” said Ana Arroyo, head of People Selection and Development. The program required an investment of €420,000 and a 20% staff increase, she explained. “Absenteeism fell 20% the first year because people stopped using company hours for personal errands. It has also improved camaraderie and commitment to the company.” According to Arroyo, sales have been growing by an annual 20% since the four-day week was adopted.

A recent study carried out in Iceland with 2,500 workers on reduced working weeks of 35 to 36 hours and no salary cuts showed similar or improved productivity and lower stress levels among the staff.