_
_
_
_
EMPLOYMENT

Seeking a work-death balance

The right of workers to time away from the office to attend funerals is under the spotlight

Llu¨ªs Pellicer
Mourners attend a cemetery on All Saint's day to pay their respects.
Mourners attend a cemetery on All Saint's day to pay their respects. ? Tejederas (EL PA?S)

The spokesman for labor relations at the CEOE, which is Spain's largest employers group, sparked a storm of criticism recently. Jos¨¦ de la Cavada publicly criticized the four days leave that employees are entitled to by law to attend the funeral of a close relative, wisecracking that "the days of the stagecoach have gone." A negative reaction soon followed, prompting the CEOE itself to seek some distance from his comments.

De la Cavada was speaking at a press conference in June to launch a new survey on absenteeism in Spain. Article 37.3 of Spain's Workers' Statute stipulates that employees are entitled to two days off work "for the birth of a child, and for the death, injury, or serious illness, hospitalization or surgery without hospitalization that requires rest at home of relatives to the second degree of blood or family relationship."

Should an employee need to travel in the event of the above factors, he or she is entitled by law to four days off work. Why De la Cavada decided to use the example of attending a funeral is unclear, and his weary joke about stagecoaches certainly fell flat.Juan Rosell, the head of the CEOE, immediately rectified, commenting: "The CEOE and its president do not support what this director has said." The labor unions also joined the chorus of criticism, with the CCOO Workers' Commission dubbing De la Cavada's comments "inadmissible;" the UGT went further, suggesting that Spain's business culture needed to catch up with the times. The Socialist Party's (PSOE) ?scar L¨®pez said: "We've had enough of workers being squeezed and choked." Finally, De la Cavada was obliged to beg "many pardons," but fell short of actually rectifying his position.

De la Cavada dismissed the furor over his comments, accusing his critics of being "overly sensitive" while pointing out that he was concerned with highlighting the cost of absenteeism. Until now, neither the labor unions nor the employers' confederation had considered that four days' leave for the death of a family member would likely cause any problems to a company. "There is no problem with this, it's a right recognized by law. Furthermore, these agreements bring other benefits in the form of life-work balance," says Manel Hern¨¢ndez, a partner at law firm Sagardoy. Hern¨¢ndez says many collective agreements stipulate that for an employee to justify extra time off work, an "overnight stay" should be involved.

We've had enough of workers being squeezed and choked"

Jos¨¦ Antonio Gonz¨¢lez, a Barcelona-based lawyer who works for Col¡¤lectiu Ronda, points out that the law is "minimal" and agrees that collective bargaining agreements tend to improve on the conditions outlined in Spain's labor legislation. "I'm surprised; this has never been a problem and the CEOE has never raised the issue," he says. De la Cavada says that Spain's current legislation on time off work for the death of a close relative simply continued the practice under the Franco regime, which he describes as "very protective." That said, other countries, whose legislation on this matter is based on laws dating back to the 1960s, have brought the issue up recently. In most other European countries, though, employees are given less time off to attend a funeral or visit a seriously ill relative in hospital than in Spain, or the additional time off is not remunerated.

Belgium, a much smaller country than Spain, is currently looking at allowing employees more time off to attend funerals. The country's former employment minister, J?elle Milquet, raised the issue of extending leave in 2008 and 2010 from three days to 10. In 2011, the Green Party put forward the proposal in parliament."Two to four days is not sufficient," says federal deputy Wouter De Vriendt, adding that Belgium's labor laws date back to the 1960s and need overhauling. "The grieving process is complex and is often accompanied by feelings of fear, guilt, confusion, and anger. People need time to be able to rebuild their lives and to get back to work," he says. His party has proposed extending the amount of time an employee can take off after the death of a family member or partner to 10 days, either consecutively or separately. To reduce the financial costs to the employer, he recommends that the first three days be paid, with the Social Security system covering the rest.

De Vriendt says that initially deputies supported the proposal, but that recent austerity policies have caused them to rethink the idea. "In reality, the additional cost would be minimal, because the majority of parents simply get a sick note from their doctor when the three days established by law are up."

Dutch member of the European Parliament Frieda Brepoels and her Belgian colleague Dirk Sterckx raised the issue in Brussels in 2011 via a parliamentary question in which they suggested that EU legislation set a minimum number of vacation and maternity leave days per year. "But EU law still does not include any specific reference to mourning leave," say the two deputies, pointing out that there are "huge discrepancies on this issue between different member states." The European Commission responded by saying that the EU Work Time Directive's objective is to "reduce the risks to health and safety that workers can be exposed to." The Commission added that "it does not appear that mourning leave can be justified" within these objectives, adding: "The wide range of practices in different member states in this regard should also be borne in mind; these reflect different cultures, religions, and social traditions.

Belgium is looking at allowing employees more time off after the death of a loved one

The Commission does not foresee the presentation of any proposal to introduce mourning leave within the EU." But if parents are entitled to leave in order to welcome their child into the world, why shouldn't he or she be allowed to bid his progenitors farewell? Isn't this something that could have a serious impact on the health of an employee?

"We are talking about close family members. We have a grief counseling service, and we estimate from our experience that most people who have lost somebody close need between a week and 10 days to assure a minimum level of recovery. After that, we begin a period of observation," says Ricard Cayuela, the deputy dean of the Catalan Official College of Psychologists, and an expert in the psychology of the workplace. Knowing when to return to work is also a matter that depends very much on the individual. Cayuela says that some people need to feel useful, and this helps them get over the death of a loved one.Other people need much more time before they can face the return to work. "The important thing is that people are able to decide for themselves," says Cayuela. "In the final analysis, the question really comes down to being able to balance important life events with work," says Manel Hern¨¢ndez.

On the other side of the Atlantic, permission for time off in the event of the death of a loved one depends on which state you live in. It was the subject of fierce debate in California, but during his time as governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger twice vetoed proposals to introduce legislation that would allow employees who had lost a loved one to take four unpaid days off work. Schwarzenegger justified the veto by saying that the state already had a "confusing mess" of laws, and didn't need any further ones. Absenteeism has been falling in Spain since the crisis kicked in, but remains a hot potato for the CEOE. There is little agreement on the figures it represents, with the labor unions accusing the employers' confederation of inflating their figures by including training time and time off for family-related matters.

That said, De la Cavada's comments are the first time the CEOE has mentioned the issue of time off work for mourning. In his presentation on absenteeism, which had been prepared by temporary work agency Adecco, De la Cavada said that collective wage and conditions agreements broadened the content of leave, but without adding any demands to those already outlined under Spanish labor law. The report draws the conclusion that "this could lead to justified absenteeism through paid leave."

Absenteeism in Spain has been falling since the economic crisis began

There is no government survey on absenteeism in Spain, but those prepared by the CEOE and other organizations all agree that the practice has been on the decline in recent years. One interpretation of this tendency is that employees are worried about losing their job at a time of economic crisis and soaring unemployment. Spain's Labor Ministry puts together an annual Labor Market Survey, which includes figures on the amount of hours lost per person each year. Provisional data for 2012 suggest that there has been a slight increase in absenteeism, but that this has been the result of what it calls "occasional causes," and that would include absences from the workplace due to the death of a close relative or partner. These "occasional causes" have also declined. So if the number of hours not worked due to paid leave have not increased over the last decade - above all due to measures allowing employees to seek a better work-life balance that are increasingly being included in work contracts - over the course of the last year the number of hours that the average employee has been absent from their workplace fell from 6.2 to 6.1.

The number of unjustified hours employees are absent from work has remained steady, below the annual average. "The International Labor Organization defines absenteeism as the time that an employee is expected to be productive, and that for whatever reason, is not. But of course these calculations are based on different notions of what one defines as being productive as," says ?ngels Valls, who teaches at the Esade business school. Valls believes that the debate sparked by De la Cavada's comments on how much time an employee is entitled to take off work following the death of a close family member is "unjustified."

Seen in the wider context, the impact that such absences could have on the overall Spanish economy are, to say the least, minimal. Valls says that businesses need to establish guidelines regarding time off work so as to be able to function effectively, but also accept that there are unexpected events in our lives and that these sometimes take precedence over work. "In human resources terms, occasions when an employee has an accident, or something comes up, are an opportunity to create a greater degree of complicity between employer and employee," she says. The outcome is likely to be that the employee will feel greater loyalty to the company and be more motivated in their work, she adds.

So why did De la Cavada decide to pick such a sensitive subject in order to make a point about absenteeism? Jos¨¦ Antonio Gonz¨¢lez of Col¡¤lectiu Ronda accuses the CEOE of "pushing the envelope" and "pure greed."A member of the CEOE's board, speaking anonymously, offers a different interpretation, suggesting a power struggle within an organization that is in the process of trying to implement major changes with the aim of bringing it into closer contact with the everyday reality that most companies experience. And those companies are less concerned with nitpicking over the number of days an employee can take off to attend a funeral, or whether the unemployment figures can be trusted, and more worried about access to loans, high taxes, and implementing policies to help Spain out of the ongoing crisis.

Tu suscripci¨®n se est¨¢ usando en otro dispositivo

?Quieres a?adir otro usuario a tu suscripci¨®n?

Si contin¨²as leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podr¨¢ leer en el otro.

?Por qu¨¦ est¨¢s viendo esto?

Flecha

Tu suscripci¨®n se est¨¢ usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PA?S desde un dispositivo a la vez.

Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripci¨®n a la modalidad Premium, as¨ª podr¨¢s a?adir otro usuario. Cada uno acceder¨¢ con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitir¨¢ personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PA?S.

En el caso de no saber qui¨¦n est¨¢ usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contrase?a aqu¨ª.

Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrar¨¢ en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que est¨¢ usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aqu¨ª los t¨¦rminos y condiciones de la suscripci¨®n digital.

Recomendaciones EL PA?S
Recomendaciones EL PA?S
_
_
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com