We walk through a street in the center of any city at 7 pm. Stores, bars, museums and some offices are still open. Some will remain open for a couple of hours and more. If we go to the suburbs, the factories and offices of the polygons still work. The Spanish leave work almost two hours later than the rest of Europeans, about 19 hours.
In Europe, most workers finish their workday between 5 pm and 6 pm. This has been seen in a recent study by the National Commission for the Rationalization of Hours in Spain, composed of institutions, ministries, autonomous communities, unions, companies and universities.
With the exception of the Administration and banking, which do intensive days, in Spain most companies and services have a marked departure for what appears to be too much time to eat.
It is a formula that comes from a post-war lifestyle (when many men had to do two jobs) but that would also be unthinkable in other countries in northern Europe because of the climatic characteristics.
The period of time dedicated to food in the countries studied ranges between 30 and 60 minutes, while in Spain this period is up to two hours.
Recall that the OECD points out that Spain needs to improve its conciliation policies, and changing these schedules to adapt them more to Europeans is a step forward, as the main political candidates pointed out in the debate a few days ago. I think it would be a matter of time to get used to these new schedules and I don't think it would cost us to benefit from its advantages.
We we just returned from a trip to Dublin, where we had to organize the time very well with the activities scheduled in the afternoon, because around 17 hours most museums and parks close. At 19 hours, only a few shops and catering establishments remain open (offering dinner already).
From my tourist perspective eager to visit everything, those schedules did not favor me. But without a doubt, working people will have a good time leaving work at 5 or 6 pm. And on the second day, even as a tourist, you have already adapted to the new schedules and end up having dinner at the same time as them.
It seems clear that the European system it favors the reconciliation of working life with the staff, arriving home two hours before lengthens those days (in a good way), preventing children from being asleep (or practically) when we arrive. More and better time with children, is what we should claim from our politicians, companies, the Administration ...
As we see it is not impossible, and it would even benefit the same work centers with employees who work better and perform more. Doesn't it seem like a good idea for times of crisis? That not to say who would be the most benefited (and grateful), the children.
