- The Local and Regional Time Policy Network has presented Local and Regional Time Agenda 5, which brings together 19 good practices in working time policies that promote more balanced, healthy, efficient and sustainable working models in cities and regions.
- The event brought together more than 100 participants from around the world, mainly professionals from public administrations responsible for the design and implementation of time policies.
On 10 December, the Local and Regional Time Network presented the Local and Regional Time Agenda 5 in an online event. This year’s agenda is entitled: ‘Towards a more rational and sustainable use of time’. Thinking about a more rational and sustainable use of time — especially working time — is an increasingly urgent social demand, reflected in the shared cry of ‘I don’t have time’. Today, societies face three major challenges that require a new organisation of work: climate change, the need to reduce working hours and the growing impact of artificial intelligence.
The presentation event included a conversation with the authors of the Agenda and representatives from five cities around the world (Bansko, Milan, Strasbourg, Sant Boi de Llobregat and Seoul) who presented the good practices implemented and the positive impact achieved in their territories.
Local and Regional Time Agenda 5 ‘Towards more rational and sustainable working time’
Time Agenda 5 focuses on describing local and regional good practices that show how governments can address these challenges at the local level. Although cities and regions often have no direct authority over working hours, their policies can influence how working time is organised and planned at the local level.
This year’s edition compiles 19 municipal good practices in working time policies to promote more conciliatory, healthy, efficient and sustainable working models, integrating technological solutions such as artificial intelligence. The publication explores the following areas:
- Time management in the digital and artificial intelligence era: Includes recommendations for more rational and sustainable working time management.
- Working time policies for climate change adaptation and mitigation: In the face of phenomena such as heat waves or heavy rainfall, local and regional governments can use working time to create safer environments for their workers. Examples such as the Digital Twin of Seoul (South Korea), the adjustment of working hours during heat waves in Bansko (Bulgaria) and the Milan Living Lab Project (Italy) on smart mobility time management show how these policies can create more resilient environments.
- Working time policies for well-being. Local and regional governments play an essential role in defining working conditions that promote work-life balance. Notable examples include the ConciliAcción Network in Sant Boi de Llobregat and the four-day working week pilot scheme for municipal staff in Strasbourg (France).
- Working time policies in rural areas. Projects such as Cowocat_Rural in Catalonia demonstrate how the creation of coworking spaces can promote talent retention, boost territorial development and offer new job opportunities in rural environments.
The policies presented are complemented by expert contributions from Tatiana Pignon and Alexandra Arntsen (European Working Time Network), and Marta Junqué Surià and Nadia García Ruiz (Time Use Initiative), who offer a framework for reflection and action to rethink the organisation of working time from a local perspective.
To know more
The Local and Regional Time Agenda is the leading international publication that compiles good practices in time policies implemented by cities and regions around the world to improve people’s lives. It is coordinated by the Local and Regional Time Policy Network, an international alliance of governments that promotes the right to time around the world.
Each edition offers ideas, best practices and recommendations to help territories implement time policies. To date, the Time Agenda has benefited more than 90 million people in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Previous editions have addressed topics such as work-life balance, sustainable mobility, democratic participation and night-time policies:
