15 MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE ORGANISATION OF WORKING TIME

Good Practice

Working Time

15 MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE ORGANISATION OF WORKING TIME

A set of 15 measures promoted by Barcelona Activa to promote healthier, more equitable, efficient and sustainable time management within the organisation.

Barcelona City Council

Spain

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

Promote healthy habits by improving time management and organisation within the organisation, as well as guaranteeing digital disconnection.
Promote work-life balance for family, personal, and professional life by focusing on flexibility and compact working hours.
Optimise working time for meetings and training sessions.
Improve worker productivity by introducing more efficient working time organisation measures.

CONTEXT

Traditional working hours in Catalonia are characterised by long working hours and late lunch times, among others. These factors often make it difficult to balance personal and professional life, and can affect workers’ health, well-being, and performance.

In this context, Barcelona Activa is aligned with Barcelona City Council’s commitment to promoting a healthier, more equitable, efficient and sustainable culture of time. As the executive body of the City Council’s economic promotion policies, Barcelona Activa has become a benchmark organisation in promoting a new time culture. It is an active part of the Barcelona Time Pact, and a member of the “steering group” of the Network of Companies for a New Working Time (NUST Network).

This task is carried out from two complementary perspectives: as a driving organisation through its services to companies, and as an internal organisation
committed to a new working time culture. Barcelona Activa is therefore working to promote a new culture of time in the city’s business fabric, integrating this vision into its lines of action and offering, specifically the Advisory Service for Companies on Equality and Time Organisation. This service advises organisations on defining and implementing measures adapted to their needs.

From an internal perspective, it applies and develops its own measures that align with these objectives. The 15 measures for a healthier and more efficient
organisation of time contribute to consolidating a working time culture as a benchmark within the public sector.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

The 15 measures are grouped into three main areas: time flexibility, organisational efficiency, and work well-being. They are specified as follows:

1. Flexibility in starting time: Employees are permitted to start the workday between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to better reconcile (or balance) family, personal, and work life.

2. Flexible and compact working day: The working hours are compacted. There is the option of completing three 6-hour working days between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30
p.m., plus two afternoons.¹ This allows for more time for family, personal, and community life.

3. Flexibility in finishing time: It is possible to finish work between 5:00 p.m. and, exceptionally, 8:00 p.m. to finish work at reasonable hours.

4. Compacting morning hours: Employees can exchange the 30-minute breakfast break for 30 minutes at lunchtime. This allows for regulating meals and finishing
work earlier to better balance personal and work life.

5. Advance lunchtime: The scheduled time for meals is between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to align with European and healthier timetables.

6. Availability of staff canteens: In those buildings that have a staff canteen, such spaces are available from 1:00 p.m. onwards to encourage healthier hours.

7. Reduction of work meals: Work lunches are limited to a maximum of four per month. This reduces stress and improves health.

8. Increased meeting effectiveness: An effective system with specific guidelines is implemented for all meetings. Punctuality, relevance, and efficiency are promoted in
work meetings.

9. Meetings during working hours: Time for morning meetings is encouraged to be hosted between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and afternoon meetings should start
between 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

10. Promotion of virtual meetings: Use of telephone conferences and videoconferencing equipment is promoted, thus contributing to more productive
working time. Business travel for meetings is reduced by 30%.

11. Increased meeting productivity: Meeting rooms have designated areas to place mobile phones and tablets at the start of meetings. There are guidelines regulating
moments for checking potential urgent matters.

12. Favouring concentration and utilisation of training sessions: Mobile phones and tablets are not to be used during internal training sessions, except during
programmed breaks.

13. Optimisation of working time: General training is programmed using Outlook, Teams, project management, Face Team, etc., to make the staff working time more
productive.

14. Guaranteeing the right to digital disconnection: Work-related emails, Telegram, or WhatsApp messages must not be sent between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., or during weekends or public holidays, except in cases of necessity or urgency.

15. Avoiding Weekend Work: Studies or reports should not be sent on Fridays for review over the weekend. These documents should primarily reach the interested
parties between Monday and Wednesday to guarantee staff rest on weekends.

KEY ASPECTS

Institutional commitment: This policy requires management adherence and leadership to promote an internal cultural change.
Organisational adaptability: The measures are applied flexibly according to Barcelona Activa professional profiles and services.
Integration with equality policies: time management is aligned with the organisation’s equality and work-life balance objectives.
Public innovation: Introduces the culture of time as a strategic axis in the internal management of a public body.
Simplicity and replicability: The measures are clear, applicable, and easily transferable to other public or private entities.
Multiple impact: The measures improve occupational health and well-being, increase productivity and promote the reduction of the gender gap linked to time management.

RESULTS

All Barcelona Activa workers are being benefited from these measures.

Policy's Website

Montse Charle, Alicia Egea, Maria Eugènia Marin i Laura de Caralt

ldecaralt@bcn.cat