At a time where I'm on full-time siesta (changing jobs; taking out weeks of saved vacation), Spain has (finally) decided to scrap the siesta. A long overdue decision, I'll say. My friend Céline has often complained about being forced to take siesta while working in a Barcelona suburb where there's nothing to do and too far away for being able to return home for the break.
But from this week all Spanish government employees (actually, since Céline works in the private sector, this might not actually solve her problem) will take one hour lunch, as is customary in most other European countries. And between 12 noon and 1 pm, not after two in the afternoon. The new legislation will allow employees to return home by six pm instead of eight or nine, and give them more time for family and friends.
One of the main reasons for the change is that is that the traditional siesta has not exactly helped Spain's competitiveness. Spaniards work more than most countries in the world - tenth place when it comes to working hours - but their type of "work ethic" does not translate into productivity or efficiency. In addition, Spanish workers sleep 40 minutes less every night compared to the average European. A more urgent rationale is the fact that in a globalised world, Spain cannot keep on closing offices and switchboards for three hours in the afternoon, when the rest of the world stays open. Shops adopted new hours already years ago.
So this should be a welcome change for Spain as an economy and for the Spanish people.
It seems you have been another victim of December 28th. That day, in Spain and in another countries we celebrate Holy Innocents Day, which recalls the massacre of children by King Herod.
ReplyDeleteIn this day friends, relatives, co-workers make light jokes to each other and the media take part too. So it is known that every newspaper, every Tv or radio station will try to fool you by saying something that it is absolutely not true, but it sounds so serious!!!
When I read your last comment I laughed a lot about it because having worked in the public sector( I am currently in excedencia while enjoying this golden exile), I know a lot about this issue. Government employees are known here for enjoying the best working schedule, although we always complain about our salary, but who does not????
I know a lot of people and friends in Spain who have not enjoyed a siesta for ages and they work in the private sector. Most companies do not close their premises for siesta and many people eat at their desks. There is no way you can go home for lunch and 15-20 minutes siesta (we do not need more) and be back to work when you live in a big city, so "adios siesta" is not something new in Spain.
As for the government employees, most of them(us) leave for home between 3:00-4:00 pm every afternoon and "hasta mañana baby!"(see you tomorrow), then we eat lunch and we can have those 15-20 minutes healthy siesta or spend the rest of the day with our families or friends.
How do we manage being a fact that Spaniards barely have a coffee for breakfast???? This remains a mystery.....Well, not really, coffee break gives you the chance to walk to the nearest tapas bar and have a delicious "pintxo de tortilla" or something else, so you can wait till late for your lunch.
Again, the so called "new legislation" not only does not have any effect on the private sector, but I am afraid it will have no effect on government employees'working schedule.
So, Congratulations!!! You have been fooled!!!
Elena.
Elena, you might be right, perhaps I was fooled! But whoever the culprit is, fooled a major Swedish newspaper, which was my source for the posting. So I assume that the Spanish media fooled the Swedish media and so on..
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I have several friends in Spain who are still required to take siesta so it doesn't seem that the tradition has gone away completely in neither the private nor the public sector. In Italy, in some towns, even shops seem to close during the early afternoon, but it's probably a dying pasttime there too.
I am sure many Spaniards were fooled with that new. My best friend who also works in the public sector told me that she has been looking for that couch where government employees take naps for two days now and there are no traces of it! ...
ReplyDeleteI am sure you have friends in Spain who work in companies that close in the afternoon for lunch. I guess these are not BIG companies. But I doubt you know government employees who go home for lunch and siesta and after that they come back to work till late every day.
I personnally like the idea of going to work earlier and be done by 4 or 5 in the afternoon and many Spaniards would love it but we know that not all companies or cities were you live are the same, so I guess that for the private sector it is going to take a long time.
Elena.