The reorganization of the working week in the Public Administration of the Azores has been tested since the beginning of the year, with around 400 workers moving to a 32-hour week regime without a salary reduction. The experiment introduces, in practice, three-day weekends for some of these employees, keeping their basic remuneration unchanged.
While on the continent the discussion about the four-day week in public service did not advance, the Autonomous Region of the Azores decided to implement a pilot project. According to the news portal, the initiative began in January and involves workers who joined voluntarily. The objective is to assess the impact of this hourly reduction on productivity and employee satisfaction, whilst ensuring that public services continue to respond to the needs of citizens and businesses.
How the new organization works
Participants had to choose between two different models. One of them concentrates 32 hours in four working days, with eight-hour days. The other distributes the time into four full days and an additional half day. According to the same source, the first option was the most chosen by the workers involved in the project, which reinforces the idea of a compressed week with three consecutive days of rest.
The implementation of this model did not arise spontaneously. The Regional Government’s program already provided for the creation of a pilot project dedicated to labor flexibility. This intention was formalized in the 2025 Budget, which established the carrying out of a study on new forms of work organization, says the same source, framing the experience currently underway.
Objectives go beyond the workload
However, reducing working time is not the only focus of the initiative. According to the regional director of Organization, Planning and Public Employment, Délio Borges, there is also an attempt to identify opportunities to simplify processes. “This project was properly planned”, stated the person in charge, adding that the aim is to evaluate not only productivity, but also the possibility of reducing bureaucracy in internal procedures.
Another of the factors that motivated the experience is related to recruitment difficulties in Public Administration. There are areas where attracting new professionals has been a challenge. Délio Borges emphasizes that, given salary limitations and benefits already defined by law, new forms of work organization can become a differentiating factor in attracting workers.
Implementation involved several steps
Before proceeding, an internal study was carried out and a partnership was established with the University of Reading. Researchers Rita Fontinha and Pedro Gomes follow the Azorean experience. Meetings followed with unions and directors of the regional Public Administration, where rules and conditions for action were defined, explains the website.
Participation in the project was voluntary, but not all workers were able to participate. It is known that some services face limitations in terms of human resources and internal organization. Furthermore, the execution of projects associated with the Recovery and Resilience Plan introduces additional constraints, says the same source.
Reorganize to maintain productivity
It should be noted that the reduction in working hours resulted in internal changes to services. According to Délio Borges, it is not possible to increase efficiency without prior reorganization of work processes. “To reduce the weekly workload we need to change our internal practices”, he stated, quoted by ECO, highlighting the need for preparation before implementation.
Although there is still no concrete data on results, there are initial indicators considered positive. The dropout rate is low, with only one or two departures recorded. The sample remains stable, which is interpreted as a sign of project consistency, says the same source.
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