Tips for adapting to the Spanish way of working

Spain is a country rich in cultural history, a history which influences every aspect of society even down to its working day.

Most people can expect to work slightly longer hours in Spain. According to the EurWORK Developments in Working Time Survey, Spain has longer average weekly working hours than many major EU nations: 38.5 hours as opposed to the EU-15 average of 37.5 hours per week.

The siesta period usually begins at 2pm in the afternoon and lasts until 4pm to 5pm, although this is gradually beginning to change. If you gain employment with one of the multinational companies in larger cities, for example, then the one-hour lunch is the norm. Spanish culture is gradually adapting to the demands of international business and transactions, and many companies want to be available for business during ‘normal’ working hours.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy recently announced his intention to scrap the traditional siesta in order to better align the country’s business practices with their European counterparts, promising to secure “a consensus to make sure the working day ends at 6pm.”

For the time being, if you’re working outside of the large cities and especially in more rural areas, definitely expect your working day to end later.

Lower wages

Whilst the cost of living is relatively low in Spain, and this is no doubt one of the draws for people relocating to the country, it is also recognised that wages are typically lower there than in other European countries.

According to recent data, the average net monthly salary in Spain is 1,749 Euros per calendar month (pcm.) This is less than the the UK, which averages at 1,990 Euros pcm.

Workers’ rights and entitlements

If you gain a contract of employment with a Spanish company, then Spanish labour laws will dictate what you can expect from your employer. This includes:

• 30 days of paid annual leave (unless otherwise agreed under your contract prior to employment), which includes the 14 national holiday days per year
• 40-hour working week
• Maximum 9-hour shift on any given day of work (8 hours for under 18s)
• Mandatory 12-hour break between each working shift
• 80 hours’ maximum overtime per annum (unless a collective agreement has been reached)
• Entitlement to maternity leave (4 months) and leave for death of family members
• 1 day’s leave allowed for moving home
• Holidays are usually taken in July, August or September, most being taken in August

Changes in the labour law

It is worth noting that following the economic downturn and in a bid to stimulate growth, promote the efficiency of workers, and create more jobs, Spanish labour laws have seen some dramatic changes in the past few years.

On 10 February 2012, a Royal Decree was passed shifting the previous bias away from the employee within Spanish law towards and for the benefit of the employer. Relevant changes include:

• Under the ‘Flexibility clause’, employers can cut salaries without prior agreement if they "are necessary for reasons of competitiveness or productivity".
• If lay-offs are “financially driven”, employees are now entitled to a far smaller pay-out — only 20 days’ salary, up to a maximum of 12 months.
• If an unemployed person turns down three offers of employment, they lose their rights to welfare benefits.
• Employment Regulations (ERE), the procedural process for making mass redundancies, have been scrapped, making employers far abler to cut large numbers of staff more easily and cheaply.
• A range of subsidies have been put in place enabling employers to take on new staff, if they were previously unemployed.

Whilst these changes in law have prompted protests across Spain, and received the criticism of the unions, they have been welcomed by the CEOE (a thankfully concise acronym for the Office of the Chairman, International and Institutional Relations of Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations). These changes are seen as an integral part of why the Spanish economy is now growing at a healthy rate.

It’s certainly not all doom and gloom, with many expat employees loving their working lives in Spain. Interviewed for the Barcelona Metropolitan, Anna Oje, a 35-year-old Seattle native who now works as a project assistant for a global health institute in Spain, says she’s “happy as a clam” and living her dream job.

If you are content to put in a few more hours and accept a slightly lower wage in return for all the benefits of the temperate climes of Spain and the relaxed and social Mediterranean culture, then working in Spain you may also just find your dream job.

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