Spain moves to end siestas in an attempt to raise productivity


For employees in America, Spanish siestas probably sound like a great idea. Across the pond, however, Spain might soon be putting an end to the traditional three-hour midday lunch break due to low levels of productivity in comparison to their siesta-less European neighbors, The Independent reports.
Spanish workers typically begin at 10 a.m. and work through 2 p.m. They then leave for up to three hours before returning to work through 8 p.m. Siestas originally began as a way for farmers to avoid brutal midday temperatures, although even despite putting in more hours of work than, say, Germans, Spanish workers average lower levels of productivity with siestas built into their workdays.
The Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has headed the movement to cut the workday by two hours and end siestas, saying, "I will find a consensus to make sure the working day ends at 6 p.m." Rajoy has also expressed a desire to put Spain back on Greenwich Mean Time, with London, instead of one hour ahead like Eastern European countries.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Stunning beaches in Scotland
The Week Recommends Scenic spots that wouldn't look out of place in the Caribbean
-
Dash: the UK's 'flawed' domestic violence tool
The Explainer Risk-assessment checklist relied on by police and social services deemed unfit for frontline use
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play