Is Spain’s Leap to a 37.5 Hour Workweek a Game Changer for Work-Life Balance?

Spain has taken a bold step in reshaping the modern workweek.

In May 2025, the Spanish government approved a bill to reduce the standard full-time workweek from 40 to 37.5 hours – without cutting pay. While it still requires parliamentary approval, this reform is expected to impact over 12 million private-sector workers and signals a wider shift toward prioritizing employee well-being.

According to Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz, the change is part of a broader goal to “modernize the world of labor” and support happier, healthier workers. The bill also includes protections like digital time tracking and a strengthened right to disconnect, ensuring employees aren’t expected to respond to messages outside of working hours. Spain’s move builds on promising results from earlier pilots.

In Valencia, a four-day workweek trial led to reduced stress, better physical health, and improved job satisfaction. These outcomes are mirrored in international studies, which show that shorter working hours can lead to higher productivity per hour, lower absenteeism and burnout, and improved employee retention.

Spain isn’t alone – France, the Netherlands, and other European countries already operate with shorter average workweeks and see strong economic performance.

The Spanish case simply adds momentum to a growing global conversation about redefining work. In the US, full-time workers average about 34–35 hours weekly, but many put in far more when factoring in overtime and after-hours communication. And in the UK, the average is closer to 37 hours, yet ‘always-on’ workplace culture remains a prominent issue.

While a federally mandated shorter workweek may not be immediately likely in either country, Spain’s example proves that national labor reform is possible and beneficial.

Even without legislative changes, organizations can adopt some of the principles behind Spain’s move:

· Pilot shorter weeks or flexible hours in select teams to test productivity and morale impacts.

· Protect personal time by setting clear boundaries around communication outside of work.

· Measure performance by outcomes, not hours logged.

· Engage employees in the process of rethinking how and when work gets done.

Spain’s 37.5-hour workweek is more than just a policy shift – it’s a cultural one. It challenges outdated assumptions that more time at work equals more value, and it opens the door to a healthier, more sustainable model of employment.

For HR professionals, the lesson is clear: a more balanced, human-centered approach to work isn’t just good for employees, but good for business overall. The question now is not whether this model will spread, but how quickly the rest of us will catch up.