Workplace culture in Spain

The maximum ordinary working week is 40 hours, and many collective agreements are less.

• Work usually begins between eight and nine in the morning, and in the split day workers rest one or two hours for lunch between one and four then return until six or seven in the evening.
• In summer and on Fridays many companies adopt a continuous day (jornada intensiva) from eight to three.
• The worker has 30 calendar days of annual leave and about 14 public holidays some national and some regional or local.
• Leave is usually divided with concentration in August when many companies close.
• And the laws require recording working hours daily and the right to digital disconnection outside hours.

Lunch (comida) is the main meal and a social event, and colleagues eat together at a nearby restaurant with the menú del día or in the kitchen, and talk about life, family, news and football more than work.

• A short morning break for coffee (café) and something simple (tostada or bocadillo) is also common.
• Your participation in lunch and coffee to build relationships is appreciated, and you can ask for juice or tea and eat what suits your dietary restrictions.
• Sometimes your manager or a colleague invites you to lunch or coffee, and may want to settle matters by talking.
• Do not work at your desk during lunch, since you would be understood as ignoring the team.
• And in August activity decreases in many sectors.

The hierarchy in Spanish companies is relatively clearer than in northern countries, and decisions are often concentrated in the manager or higher, and respect for status, experience and age is valued.

• But the relationship between manager and team is mostly friendly, and everyone addresses each other by first names and tú. You are expected to carry out instructions, report your problems early and take initiative within your responsibilities.
• Decisions may be taken slowly and after informal consultations, and oral agreement is important but it is advisable to document it by email.
• Flexibility, adaptability and practical solutions are valued.
• Promotion depends on performance, relationships and seniority.
• And in modern and international companies the structure is flatter.

The big unions CCOO and UGT negotiate collective agreements (convenios) and provide legal advice to members, and membership is voluntary with a monthly contribution.

• In companies with six or more employees workers' delegates (delegados de personal) or a works committee (comité de empresa) can be elected to represent them on pay, hours, dismissal and safety.
• The employee has the right to a written contract and social security registration, protection from discrimination and unfair dismissal, and compensation.
• The labour inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo) receives free complaints when rights are violated, and they can be submitted electronically.
• In problems talk to your manager, then human resources, then the workers' delegate, then the union.
• Do not accept work without a contract whatever the reasons.

Many employees are keen on continuing training, and companies offer courses partly funded through formación bonificada, and you can ask for it in your annual appraisal.

• Many start at a low level and are promoted with seniority and professional relationships, and job mobility is wider between companies.
• Balance between work, family and friends is valued, and flexibility is increasing: working from home (teletrabajo) under a law protecting your rights, reduction of working hours to care for children, and part-time.
• But long working hours and long lunch times limit leisure time in the evening, and society discusses adjusting working hours.
• Plan your life in a way that suits this rhythm.

How many days of annual leave?