{"id":4256,"date":"2026-04-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.educa.pro\/semana-laboral-flexible-jornadas-beneficios"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:00:53","slug":"flexible-working-week-working-hours-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/articulos\/semana-laboral-flexible-jornadas-beneficios\/","title":{"rendered":"Flexible working week, compressed working hours and new benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>The world of work is changing rapidly,<\/strong> driven by the <strong>digitalisation, globalisation and new expectations amongst employees. <\/strong>The <strong>flexible working arrangements, flexible working hours and modern employee benefits <\/strong>have become <strong>strategic tools for attracting and <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/articles\/the-impact-of-training-on-talent-retention\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>retain talent,<\/strong><\/a> as well as to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. This article analyses current trends in Spain and how companies, both large and small, are adapting their working models. <\/p><h2>What is changing in the world of work? <\/h2><p>The <strong>contemporary working environment<\/strong> requires <strong>greater autonomy and balance<\/strong> between work and personal life. Factors driving this change: <\/p><ul><li><strong>Claim <\/strong>from <strong>workplace flexibility on the part of the employee<\/strong>of all generations. <\/li><li><strong>A greater focus on wellbeing and mental health. <\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Competition for skilled talent<\/strong> which prioritises companies with adaptive environments. <\/li><li><strong>Digital transformation<\/strong> which allows you to work from anywhere. <\/li><\/ul><p>Against this backdrop, companies are exploring new ways of organising work and offering additional benefits in order to remain competitive. <\/p><h2>What steps are large companies taking, and what can SMEs learn from them? <\/h2><p>Many large corporations have adopted: <\/p><ul><li><strong>Flexible working week<\/strong> with options for partial or full remote working. <\/li><li><strong>Condensed sessions <\/strong>(such as 4\u00d710 or 9\u00d780) to make the best use of time and energy. <\/li><li><strong>Supplementary benefits<\/strong> focusing on wellbeing, health and training. <\/li><\/ul><p>SMEs can take note and adapt these practices to their size and resources, prioritising measures that have a direct impact on productivity and satisfaction. <\/p><h2>Flexible working week: what is it and how is it implemented? <\/h2><p>The flexible working week consists of <strong>to allow employees to adjust their working hours and place of work<\/strong> depending on personal and team requirements. Common formats: <\/p><ul><li><strong>Partial or full remote working<\/strong>, on a fixed-term or project basis. <\/li><li><strong>Staggered timetables<\/strong> to help achieve a better work-life balance. <\/li><li><strong>Mobile working hours,<\/strong> in which the employee defines blocks of activity according to priorities. <\/li><\/ul><p>A practical example of a flexible working week is seen in companies that allow their employees to choose whether to work from home two days a week or to concentrate their working hours into intensive blocks, whilst ensuring that, regardless of the model chosen, the objectives and expected results are met in a clear and measurable way. <\/p><h2>Compressed working hours: advantages and challenges <\/h2><p>Condensed sessions <strong>reduce the number of working days whilst maintaining the same total number of hours.<\/strong> Common types: <\/p><ul><li><strong>4\u00d710: four 10-hour days. <\/strong><\/li><li><strong>9\u00d780: nine 8-hour days over a 10-day period. <\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Advantages: <\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Improving work-life balance. <\/li><li>Reduced stress and absenteeism. <\/li><li>Potential increase in productivity due to greater concentration. <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Challenges: <\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Coordination between teams. <\/li><li>The need for task planning and monitoring. <\/li><li>Compliance with Spanish labour legislation on rest periods and maximum working hours <\/li><\/ul><h2>What benefits do employees value most these days? <\/h2><p>Modern employment benefits go beyond salary and include: <\/p><ul><li><strong>Wellbeing and Mental Health Days. <\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Continuing education and professional development. <\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Flexible compensation,<\/strong> such as bonuses, health insurance and hybrid working arrangements. <\/li><li><strong>Programmes to support work-life balance and personal wellbeing. <\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p>These incentives have a direct impact on talent retention, employee benefits, satisfaction and engagement. <\/p><h2>Impact on productivity and employee satisfaction <\/h2><p>Recent studies show that flexibility and the right benefits: <\/p><ul><li>They boost individual and team productivity. <\/li><li>They improve job satisfaction and engagement. <\/li><li>They reduce staff turnover and absenteeism. <\/li><\/ul><p>An analysis of internal and external data makes it possible to measure these effects by means of<a href=\"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/articles\/kpis-training-steering-committee-measurement-platform\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong> Productivity and flexibility KPIs,<\/strong><\/a> retention rates and surveys on the hybrid working environment. <\/p><h2>Real-life examples: Spanish companies that are already using it <\/h2><h3>Delsol Software, a pioneer in the four-day working week without a pay cut <\/h3><p>One of the <strong>leading companies in Spain<\/strong> in adopting the<strong> Software Delsol introduced a four-day working week with no reduction in pay.<\/strong> The company, based in Ja\u00e9n and with more than 180 employees, has reduced its working hours <strong>whilst maintaining pay levels and without any loss of productivity,<\/strong> becoming a model for other organisations interested in alternative working models. In some cases, there has also been a <strong>increase in satisfaction and engagement<\/strong> of the team since this policy was adopted. <\/p><h3>Good Rebels and other digital companies with a reduced working week <\/h3><p>Several Spanish companies in the digital sector have adopted a four-day working week or flexible working arrangements. For example, <strong>Good Rebels<\/strong> offers a <strong>a four-day working week with a hybrid working arrangement, <\/strong>Unlimited holiday and other benefits focused on wellbeing and productivity. Similarly, companies such as Big Buy and One Totem have introduced reduced-hours working models offering benefits such as a training budget and flexible working hours, which are highly valued by their employees. <\/p><h3>EMA-Competici\u00f3n: an example of an SME with a reduced working week and a growing business <\/h3><p>In the SME sector, the M\u00e1laga-based company <strong>EMA \u2013 Competition,<\/strong> specialising in technical training in mechanics, has been successfully implementing a <strong>a four-day working week, totalling 32 hours per week.<\/strong> Its director highlights the benefits in terms of quality of life and staff motivation, and the company itself is rolling out this model to new locations, <strong>demonstrating that compressed working hours can also work in sectors outside the technology sector. <\/strong><\/p><h2>Barriers and challenges: what businesses need to bear in mind <\/h2><p>Before implementing changes to employee benefits and working hours, it is necessary to consider:<\/p><ul><li><strong>Labour legislation in Spain: <\/strong>comply with maximum working hours, rest periods and leave entitlements.<\/li><li><strong>Organisational culture:<\/strong> resistance to change, the need for exemplary leadership.<\/li><li><strong>Operational adjustments:<\/strong> co-ordination of hybrid teams, project planning.<\/li><li><strong>Clear communication regarding expectations and performance metrics.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h2>Trends and the future of employee benefits <\/h2><p>It is expected that, over the coming years, flexibility and benefits will evolve towards: <\/p><ul><li>Greater integration of hybrid working and flexible working hours. <\/li><li>Tailoring benefits to suit employees\u2019 profiles and preferences. <\/li><li>Continuing professional development as a key benefit for staff retention and engagement. <\/li><li>A focus on holistic wellbeing: physical and mental health, and professional development. <\/li><\/ul><p>In conclusion, <strong>flexible working week <\/strong>in Spain, <strong>Compressed working hours and modern benefits are not just trends:<\/strong> are<strong> strategic tools for attracting talent, boosting productivity and enhancing satisfaction<\/strong> of employees in a changing work environment.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>The world of work is changing rapidly,<\/strong> driven by the <strong>digitalisation, globalisation and new expectations amongst employees. <\/strong>The <strong>flexible working arrangements, flexible working hours and modern employee benefits <\/strong>have become <strong>strategic tools for attracting and <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/articles\/the-impact-of-training-on-talent-retention\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>retain talent,<\/strong><\/a> as well as to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. This article analyses current trends in Spain and how companies, both large and small, are adapting their working models. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10368,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4256\/revisions\/10368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educa.pro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}