Good evening everyone.
I think we spend our most productive hours of the day in the office (since we need at least 7 to sleep), therefore already we work enough.
It is a cultural question. The average Spaniard use to spend at least two hours to eat, in other countries they don´t sit down to eat two dishes and a dessert. This make that the hours in the office last too much. Moreover, companies use to promote the number of hours that you remain in the office, they don’t bear in mind you results and productivity.
On the other hand let’s not forget that there are workers, as taxi drivers, plumbers, waiters, etc ( they have their own bussines) who do not have schedule.
P.D Spain is different and we try to keep our holidays. One secret, I’m writing this from my desk in the office.
Happy holidays for those will celebrate St. Santiago tomorrow !! ( Spanish patron saint)
Angel C

Every country in Europe has at least a month of holidays. Denmark (other European countries, too!), for example, has five weeks, even more than we do. And it is constantly on the lists of best places in the world to live (Best places) and doesn’t exactly have “productivity” problems.
And I doubt that many full-time workers, besides us, are working four and a half days a week. Ask anyone who works in a major corporation, a factory or even a bar for that matter. Some would be thrilled to work 40 hours a week, not to mention five days. Working 54% of the year is a dream for all of us, but a reality for few, perhaps some civil servants and part-timers… And in the city centre, banks are open until at least 7 p.m. Try to find a bank in Chicago that will exchange your money for a pre-dinner apéritif.
Shops in Spain don’t and can’t open 24 hours (but they don’t in most of Europe, either). The only ones which have the infrastructure and ability to do that are large shopping centres, supermarkets and chains. Without even going into the topic of globalisation, it is obvious that small shops cannot compete with these corporate giants and frankly, shouldn’t have to. Productivity is based on production. Factories produce. Companies produce. Factories in Spain already have a shift system and are open 24 hours a day. What do you need to buy at 4 a.m., anyway? There’s always a “farmacia de guardia.” Most small food shops open at 8 a.m., then medium supermarkets at 9 and large ones at 10. The latter are open until 10 p.m. Who can’t find time in a 14 hour span to make their purchases, regardless of the place they choose to make them? Spain, quite frankly, has some of the most extended timetables in Europe. Go try to shop in the U.K. at 9 p.m. and see what you can get. Even Harrod’s closes at 7!!! Also, 24 hour shifts make working Sundays and holidays inevitable. At how many American Thanksgivings, Christmases, Easters or even Sunday lunches were family members missing because they had to work. Since I have been here, that has never happened.
I must agree on the time quality concept. In Spain, the idea still exists that quantity is more important than quality. If work were concentrated into less hours, people, especially in big cities, would have more free time to live their lives. But it’s not so easy to change people’s habits. And part of the problem is that there aren’t enough people that are bothered by the way things are. A revolution won’t happen until people truly care and, frankly, I don’t think they do.
Self criticism, indeed…
One last comment: I have a two hour lunch and am quite happy with it.

In fairness to Spain… I think that Spain is a hive of creativity in urban planning and architecture, for example. These related fields alone generate a lot of production AND productivity in a wide range of sectors, from the actual building industry to publishing. It’s been like this for quite some time now, perhaps two decades. All eyes are on Spain. Not all countries get the international critical acclaim in these fields that Spain does. Spain is hot. Not all countries get the time and space in New York City’s MoMA that Spain has these past few months. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Here’s another interesting article about Spain’s low productivity. In a very general sense, I must admit that the Spaniards are a bit lazy. For example, and this is from a teacher’s point of view, sometimes they never do their homework! :-)
Anyway, I don’t think that Gina was talking about real estate at all. At least not real estate in the mediocre speculation sense. She was talking about architects and architectures of the haute culture and intellectual-muscle kind. The MoMA would never have it otherwise.

If work was such a good thing, the rich would have found a way of keeping it for themselves.
:-)