Is a siesta a fiesta? In a recent article, the German newspaper, Der Spiegel, claimed that the Spanish government would do away with the traditional “siesta” owing to pressure from Brussels, the European Bank and the International Monetary Fund, all of whom have given Spain financial support during its recent economic troubles. The paper suggests that this would be for purely economic reasons, to increase productivity since the “siesta” flies in the face of what Germans consider to be good working practice. I have to admit when I first came to Spain, I found the very long “lunch hour” or should I say “lunch 3 - 4 hours” annoying as most shops other than major supermarkets are closed during this time. Even in France, where I lived for 12 years before moving to the Iberian Peninsula, the lunch break is only two hours, so frustration set in when I had to wait for what seemed an interminably long time for shops to open. Offices, I discovered, work on a slightly different timetable, but there is no way I could receive a service before 4.30 if I missed the closing time of 1.00pm or 1.30pm depending on the town. Seven years on and I now realise that the “siesta” is not in fact unproductive and is important for several reasons. Most retailers stay open until 8.00pm at the earliest, in the summer maybe until 11.00pm to catch the evening tourist trade. Spain is still a country of very small shops (though global chains are moving in), which means that shopkeepers often have exceptionally long days with little or no time to manage things at home. Many cannot afford to pay for staff and so members of the family help out, mums with children, sons with another job - if they are lucky enough to have another job these days - parents who are well into retirement. All of these people share the workload both in the business and in the home. The time in which the shop is closed is a time to do things that need to be done away from the workplace, such as preparing the evening meal, do the washing/ironing, dealing with personal correspondence, making sure the children have a rest and so on. This is all difficult to do later if you get home regularly at 10.00 at night. On the subject of rest, don’t think that Spaniards are sleeping the whole of siesta time. Many will take a welcome 20 - 30 minute power nap after lunch, especially in the spring and summer heat, but this has been proven to be beneficial to health...and to productivity later in the day. Lunchtime is when the family will traditionally have the main meal of the day. Isn’t it better to sit round a table and to eat homemade food together, rather than to grab a quick sandwich and consume it at your desk, while the children are getting a microwaved snack? In northern Europe, hot summers probably last for two - three weeks but here in southern Europe they last for three -four months. Modern air conditioning is available of course, so there is an argument for longer working hours and shorter lunchtimes, but I wonder whether this would actually increase productivity, or will workers be wondering about all the things they would normally be doing during the “siesta” and if they will be able to fit them into 24 hours? Will mothers be able to see their children who come home for lunch? Will the grandparents be happy to take over every day? Spanish grandparents already spend much of their lives “in loco parentis”, collecting children from school at the end of the school day and often taking them to school in the mornings. The big chains and companies can afford to stay open all day with shift patterns, but part of the pleasure of Spain and other Mediterranean countries, is their small and individual shops and businesses...I for one, would hate to see them forced into non-existence because of northern European work ethics.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 22:14:20 +0000
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