How Siestas Might Help Europe Survive Deadly Heat Waves

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How Siestas Might Help Europe Survive Deadly Heat Waves
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As climate change intensifies, Northern European countries are seeing the appeal of Spain’s controversial midday break. Via WIREDUK

—the split working day—which allows people to take a break, have a long lunch, or enjoy a siesta . This daily structure has long proved controversial in Spain. The system means many employees in Spain take a two-hour lunch break during the hottest part of the day, but as a result, they end up working late into the evening.

Typical working hours in Spain still follow that pattern, says Marta Junqué, coordinator at Time Use Barcelona, an association that campaigns against the jornada partida, adding that people in Spain usually start work around 9 am then take a two- or three-hour break at lunchtime, before returning to work for a second shift between 4 pm and 7 pm. It’s a misconception that this schedule was designed to avoid the heat, Junqué says.

For years, there have been concerns in Spain that this is not the best way to do business. In 2016, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tried to abolish the long lunch break, to bring the country’s working hours more in line with its neighbors. There are also concerns that the system is not ideal for work-life balance. “In Spain, people spend around 12 to 14 hours outside their home,” says Junqué.

But unions in Belgium and Germany believe longer lunch breaks would ensure that workers stay safe during the heat.

Right now, advice across the bloc varies wildly. For outdoor work, the maximum temperature is 36 degrees Celsius in Montenegro, 28 in Slovenia, and 18 in Belgium, while some countries, like France, have no temperature cap at all.

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