2023-04-30 20:39:12
Its printing press has been distributed along the main streets of Barcelona for 35 years. Print the posters of a popular clothing chain, also for a historic department store and dress up the stands of the Barcelona Fair, among others. Some may remember the 3D awning that in 1997 covered the façade of the Palau Robertwork of the American artist Philip Stanton but printed by them in Catalonia. Although the name of this SME may soon be associated as one of the first Catalan companies to apply the 32-hour or four-day workday.
“In a few years it will be mandatory for everyone, I’m sure. The future passes through here, by working fewer hours and what we want is to move forward,” says the owner of Publishing path, Joan Garcia, in conversation with EL PERIÓDICO, from the Prensa Ibérica group. “It’s a good opportunity and if they encourage you with subsidies on top of that,” he adds.
The next may 13th The term expires for all those SMEs in the industrial sector to present their candidacy to qualify for aid of up to 200,000 euros if they reduce the working hours of their employees and maintain their salaries. And Publiservei has already started the paperwork to apply for the pilot program and agree on it with its 40 workers, as confirmed by its agency.
García is finalizing the numbers to jump into that pool with his ship in Sant Boi full to the brim. “We also make electoral posters and this year, as you can imagine, we didn’t stop. We are 24/7“, Explain. The first international studies on concrete experiences of reducing the working day to 4 days or 32 hours praise the benefits for the mental health of workers.
And at a time when companies suffer from a shortage of certain professionals, this SME from graphic arts sees an ‘extra’ in the play to attract workers. “When the word begins to spread that we offer 32-hour days, I hope I have the problem to manage so much curriculum,” says García.
How do they plan to do it?
How does this SME intend to go to 32 hours? One of the objectives of the pilot coordinated by the Ministry of Industry is for the participating companies to improve their productivity to be able to cushion the extra cost that it will imply to carry out the same task in fewer hours. However, and despite the improvements in the processes that they can introduce, from Publiservei they are clear that “the only way we have to implement it is hiring more peoplethere’s no more”.
Another way is to reduce downtime. “He Friday in the afternoon we no longer work and we are realizing that it is an increasingly useless day. Many people have a shift from nine in the morning to two in the afternoon and at 12 noon their work is over”, says the owner. His idea is to compact those hours into the rest of the week and free up a whole day. “It’s going one step further. In addition, when people know for sure that they will not work that day, all the errands, doctors and other personal issues will be concentrated and they will not miss the rest of the days ”, he affirms.
What are the risks?
The four-day work week model has its ups and downs. The aforementioned benefits are faced with a battery of risks, such as overloading workers due to the shortest time available or not being able to attend to all potential clients. Garcia acknowledges that this change may arouse the misgivings of some of his clients. “Will they be able to treat me the same?”, he is afraid that some will think, especially in a context like the current one in which they do not lack work.
From the human resources department they are aware that they will be forced to make an extra effort at the beginning, in order to reorganize the shifts of the workers and adapt them to the peaks of work. Here García relies on the support of the consultant that, according to the bases of the pilot program, all participating companies must contract to implement the new model. Also in the seniority of the squad.
“We are not inventing anything new either. In other European countries they are also applying pilots of this type, why not us? I am aware that at first it will be hard, I am not going to fool you, but I see more benefits than drawbacks ”, she concludes.
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