Which type of working day is more effective, the split working day or the intensive working day? We analyse which is better for boosting employee productivity.
According to the Edenred-Ipsos Barometer on work climate, 71% of employees respond positively to questions related to their well-being at work.. Given this fact, we can't help but wonder: what is the perfect timetable for employees?
By definition, a split working day is one in which there is a break of at least one hour at midday for lunch. The great advantage of this type of timetable is its correspondence with the commercial sector established in Spain. Therefore, companies operating in the commercial sector are more likely to adapt this type of day to provide wider coverage to their customers.
Little by little this type of working time in the commercial sector is falling into disuse in favour of the intensive working day, which is 9% more productive in the services sector than the split working day. We should not forget that the service sector represents around 60% of the Spanish economy, so this improvement in productivity is undoubtedly significant overall.
This type of working day eliminates the long lunch break that many companies offer their workers at midday (sometimes extending up to two hours), with a short lunch break of no more than 30 minutes.
The intensive working day increases both motivation and productivity of employees. This is undoubtedly of great benefit to companies.
There are many studies that support this approach. One of them is the study carried out by the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa (IESE) of the University of Navarra and Addeco, which asserts that the intensive working hours can increase Spanish productivity, The EU has the lowest level in the whole of the European Union.
The intensive or continuous working day not only has benefits for the motivation and productivity of employees. It also has a number of other benefits that should be taken into account:
The intensive working day allows employees to maintain the intensity of their work, but also allows for a greater disconnection from work once the working day is over, leaving more time for other types of activities, such as promoting social life.
Having more time to spend not only on our work, but also on our families, leisure or hobbies allows us to feel better about ourselves. Let us not forget that time is a limited resource and that making the most of it improves our happiness.
Many workers are unable to combine their working hours with the practice of sport. We have more hours to dedicate to our health.
Working fewer hours makes us less fatigued, and with them we will be more active and in a mood more inclined to engage in activities that we find pleasurable.
