In Spain, family and work reconciliation is based on two pillars: rights recognized by law, that companies must respect when their requirements are met, and the voluntary measures that each organization can incorporate above that minimum.
Knowing that difference is what allows us to design an effective reconciliation policy: the first is mandatory, the second is what differentiates one employer from another.
Family and work reconciliation is the possibility of Balancing work with personal and family life, In this way, professional obligations do not prevent the fulfillment of needs for care, rest, and personal development.
It is not limited to people with children. It also affects those who care for dependent family members or need to organize their time to attend to other personal responsibilities.
In the business world, he combines two types of measures:
Legal rights constitute the minimum framework that must be respected. Voluntary measures allow the reconciliation policy to be adapted to the needs of each workforce.
A policy of reconciling family and work life can contribute to improving employee satisfaction, fostering talent retention, and strengthening the company’s value proposition as an employer.
The data from II Study on Labor Welfare and Health in Spain 2026, Developed by Edenred together with Savia, the digital health platform of MAPFRE, these reports reflect the importance of working conditions beyond salary:
Although these results analyze work well-being in a broad sense and not exclusively reconciliation, they highlight the importance of offering conditions that meet the needs of working people.
A well-designed reconciliation policy can bring benefits such as:
Conciliation does not replace adequate wage compensation, but it can be part of a broader strategy of well-being and loyalty.
The main rights of conciliation are set out in Workers' Statute, approved by Royal Legislative Decree 2/2015 and subsequently modified by various reforms.
Among the most relevant are the Royal Decree-Law 5/2023, which introduced new leave arrangements; the Royal Decree-Law 2/2024, the Law amending the regime for accumulating the parental leave for caring for a child; and Royal Decree-Law 9/2025, which extended the permission for the birth and care of the minor.
These rights are independent of the voluntary social benefits that a company may offer. Their exercise is subject to the conditions provided for by law and, where appropriate, to the improvements established by collective agreement.
The leave for the birth and care of the minor has a general duration of 19 weeks per parent, In accordance with Article 48 of the Workers’ Statute and the extension introduced by Royal Decree-Law 9/2025.
It is distributed as follows:
The right is individual and non-transferable. The non-mandatory weeks can be enjoyed in a cumulative or interrupted manner, respecting the legal requirements of communication and enjoyment.
In single-parent families, the overall duration is extended to 32 weeks, These are divided into 6 mandatory weeks, 22 weeks up to 12 months and 4 weeks up to 8 years.
There are extensions and special rules for certain circumstances, such as the minor's disability, multiple births, or neonatal hospitalization.
Royal Decree-Law 9/2025 came into force on July 31, 2025. The additional two weeks of leave up to eight years old—four in single-parent families—are also recognized for events that occurred after August 2, 2024, and can be requested starting January 1, 2026.
The transitional regime does not imply that all the weeks of the expansion will be applied retroactively.
Requirements, amount of the benefit, application deadlines and obligations of the company, in Maternity and paternity leave: everything you need to know.
Article 48 bis of the Workers’ Statute recognizes a Parental leave of up to eight weeks for the care of children or minors who have been taken in for a period exceeding one year, until they reach the age of eight.
It is an individual and non-transferable right that can be enjoyed continuously or intermittently, in accordance with the legally established conditions.
The working person must inform the company of the start and end dates in advance of ten days or as stipulated in the collective agreement, except in cases of force majeure.
Generally speaking, no. The parental leave provided for in Article 48 bis does not provide for mandatory remuneration.
It is important not to confuse it with the additional two weeks of birth and care for the minor introduced by Royal Decree-Law 9/2025. These latter are part of a different regime and enjoy the economic protection of Social Security when the corresponding requirements are met.
Article 37.3.b of the Workers’ Statute recognizes five days of paid leave in certain cases related to the care of family members and cohabitants.
It can be requested by:
The right includes the spouse, partner of the same sex, relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, including the consanguineous relative of the partner of the same sex, and other persons who live in the same household and require effective care.
The working person must notify and justify the reason for the leave.
It is not about five days off for any family needs, but about a leave linked to the circumstances provided for by law.
Article 37.9 recognizes the right to take time off from work for urgent family reasons related to family members or cohabitants, when an illness or accident makes the immediate presence of the working person indispensable.
The Paid absence hours can amount to the equivalent of four days per year, In accordance with the legally established provisions and the collective agreement or applicable agreement.
This right is intended for urgent situations and should not be confused with the five-day leave for serious illness, hospitalization, or surgical intervention.
Article 37.4 of the Workers’ Statute recognizes the right to one hour of absence from work for the care of a breastfed infant until it reaches nine months of age.
The working person may:
Since the modification introduced by Royal Decree-Law 2/2024, the accumulation of full-time work does not depend on it being expressly provided for in a collective agreement or agreement with the company.
The number of accumulated days must be calculated according to the corresponding absence time in each case. Therefore, there is no universal duration of fifteen natural days.
In certain cases where both parents exercise the right for the same duration and regime, it can be extended to twelve months, with a proportional reduction in salary starting from the ninth month and with possible protection from Social Security when their requirements are met.
All the details, in ours Complete guide to the breastfeeding permit.
Article 46.3 of the Workers’ Statute provides for two major cases of leave for caregiving purposes:
It may have a maximum duration of three years per child, counted from birth or from the corresponding judicial or administrative resolution in cases of adoption, foster care or placement for adoption purposes.
It can have a maximum duration of two years, unless the collective agreement establishes a longer period.
It is recognized for the care of a spouse, partner of a same-sex relationship, or family member up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity who, for reasons of age, accident, illness, or disability, is unable to care for himself or herself and does not perform a remunerated activity.
These leave periods do not generally entail the maintenance of the salary, although they do include specific guarantees for the preservation of the employment relationship and for reinstatement.
Article 37.6 of the Workers' Statute allows for the request of a reduction in working hours, with a proportional decrease in salary, in certain caregiving situations:
In ordinary cases, the reduction is between one eighth and half of the working day.
What happens when a child has cancer or another serious illness?
The regulations provide for a specific regime for the care of minors affected by cancer or another serious illness that requires direct, continuous, and permanent attention.
In these cases, the reduction can be maintained, with the established requirements, until the child or responsible person reaches the age of 23 and, in certain cases of disability, until the age of 26.
This special regime should not be confused with the ordinary reduction for legal custody of minors under twelve years of age.
Article 34.8 of the Workers’ Statute recognizes the right to request adaptations to the duration and distribution of the workday, the organization of working time, and the form of provision, including remote work, to make the right to reconciliation effective.
These adaptations must be reasonable and proportionate, Taking into account the needs of the working person and the organizational or productive needs of the company.
Unlike a reduction in working hours, an adjustment that maintains working time does not in itself lead to a decrease in salary.
Is the company obligated to accept any request?
No. The working person has the right to request the adaptation and to have it processed in accordance with the legal procedure, but not to automatically obtain any schedule or modality of teleworking.
In the absence of specific regulation in collective bargaining, the company must open a negotiation process of a maximum of fifteen days.
Upon completion of the procedure, the applicant must communicate in writing their acceptance, an alternative proposal, or a motivated refusal. If no express motivated opposition is submitted within the legal timeframe, the application is presumed to have been granted.
Article 38 of the Workers' Statute establishes a minimum wage. 30 natural working days of paid annual holidays, This can be extended through a collective agreement or contract.
In companies that use a calculation based on working days, this minimum is usually expressed as 22 working days, according to the calendar and applicable conditions.
Holidays are a general right to rest, not a specific leave for reconciliation, but they are part of the conditions that allow organizing personal and professional life.
Labour legislation protects workers from discriminatory business decisions or retaliation related to the legitimate exercise of their reconciliation rights.
Articles 53.4 and 55.5 of the Workers’ Statute establish specific grounds for the nullity of dismissal linked, among other circumstances, to certain leave, reductions, adjustments to working hours and family protection situations.
This protection does not mean that a person exercising a right of conciliation cannot be dismissed for any reason. The company may, within the legally required terms, prove a cause that is unrelated to the exercise of those rights.
The above rights constitute the legal framework for the protection of conciliation, provided that its requirements are met. Companies can go further and design voluntary measures tailored to the needs of their teams:
These measures do not necessarily have to be applied in the same way in all companies. Their usefulness depends on the profile of the workforce, the organization of work, and the actual needs of the employees.
To learn about other solutions, see our article on benefits that promote work-life balance.
You can also discover How to strengthen reconciliation in your company with social benefits useful for everyday life.
Childcare is one of the needs that most significantly affect the daily organization of families with young children.
Edenred Guardería It allows companies to facilitate access to early childhood education services for the children of their employees, helping them manage one of the regular expenses during the first years of life. What it is and how it works, in Childcare check: everything you need to know.
When the service is offered in exchange for cash and meets legal requirements, the amount allocated for childcare can be exempt from IRPF without a specific exemption limit for this service.
This tax advantage is linked to the provision of childcare services through authorized centers and to the conditions stipulated by the regulations. It should not be confused with direct financial aid in cash, which may be subject to different tax treatment. How flexible reimbursement affects the payroll, in Social Security contributions and flexible remuneration.
Among its advantages are:
If you want to know how to get it started, check out our guide on How to implement Edenred Guardería.
Promoting family and work-life balance starts with ensuring the rights recognized by law, but it doesn't end there.
Companies that incorporate additional measures of flexibility, care, and well-being can better respond to the diverse needs of their teams and build more attractive work environments.
The key is to combine Regulatory compliance, active listening, and benefits tailored to the workforce.
Human Resources professional with a deep vocation for connecting talent with the purpose of organisations. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work in international environments and consultancy firms, and currently at Edenred, where I lead the People & CSR area in Spain.
