In the United States, the 40-hour work week has been the law since 1940. As early as 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which basically required employers to pay employees overtime if they worked more than 44 hours per week. In fact, going back a little further, Henry Ford began advancing the idea of a shorter work week in 1914 when he scaled back from a 48 to a 40-hour work week. It was his belief that longer hours were counter-productive causing workers to become fatigued and more prone to mistakes. Why then, do some countries, like Mexico, still have a 48-hour work week? That’s a fair question and one that deserves an answer from those of us who live in Mexico and reap the benefits of the 48-hour work week.
MEXICO’S 48-HOUR WORK WEEK
Mexico’s Labor Laws dictate the terms of the nation’s work week and mandatory pay and holidays. Mexico’s workday is divided into three (3) shifts. Here’s how they break down:
- The Day shift: The work day for the Mexican worker is eight hours and that eight-hour shift fits into a flexible 14-hour work day beginning at 6:00 am and ending at 8:00 pm.
- The Nightshift: The night shift for Mexico’s workers happens within the 10-hour window of time between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am.
- The Mixed shift: This is also a 7 ½ hour shift that covers part of the day shift and 3 ½ hours of the night shift. Source: The Offshore Group
In the U.S., these shifts are commonly known as days, nights and swing-shift and most likely cover a very similar time-span. Each work shift is paid the same wage but accounts for the slightly shorter work day making up the mixed and night shifts. Any worker who exceeds the legal 8-hour work day is compensated with overtime pay.
Here’s where it’s different; Mexico gets paid time off!
- Vacation time: Employees can request off an annual vacation of at least 6 working days and add 2 working days every following year. After 4 years, the 2 days will be added every 5 years.
- Vacation premium: Employees get a minimum of 25% salary as a vacation premium and are paid for the vacation time accrued. Labor unions sometimes try to negotiate the premium percentage up from the legal 25%.
- Christmas Bonus: Companies in Mexico are required to pay 15 days salary during the Christmas holidays under Mexico’s Labor Law. Many companies also shut down their facilities between Christmas and the New Year Holiday.
- Sunday (7th- day) Rest Day: Mexican workers have a legally prescribed six-day work week of 48 – 42 hours (depending on their shift) and receive payment for seven days.
- Rest Day (7th-day) Premium: If an employee works on Sunday, or a seventh day, he or she will receive an added 25% percent more of the regular daily wage.
In addition to these great vacation/holiday benefits, the following days are national paid holidays in Mexico:
- January 1st– New Year’s Day
- February 5th– Constitution Day (First Monday of February)
- March 21st – Benito Juarez Birthday (third Monday of March)
- May 1st – Labor Day
- September 16th – Mexican Independence Day
- November 20th– Revolution Day (Third Monday of November)
- December 1st – Change of Federal Power Day (occurring ever 6 years with the election of a new President)
- December 25th – Christmas Day Source: The Offshore Group
THE BENEFITS OF THIS WORK WEEK
For those of us who live in Mexico, we have found this 48-hour work week to be very beneficial. Here’s why:
- Flexibility: With the work day divided into three shifts, we have flexibility. We can structure our schedule to work with our family routine. Additionally, with the day shift being extra-long, it allows us the flexibility to come in later if needed or come in early and get off earlier in the day if that is needed as well.
- Rest Day: Most industries take Sunday as a rest day, meaning that the majority of Mexican families can enjoy a nice quiet day together and observe that rest day as they see fit. There’s a general calm that one feels each Sunday as the majority of the country rests.
- Time off: There are a number of National Holidays observed throughout the calendar year that requires companies to give employees a paid day off. In addition, one of the BEST things we do as a nation is to “close-up shop” during the Holiday season allowing employees to spend that very special time with family without having to take their personal vacation time to do so. This is a primary difference between Mexico and the U.S. Most U.S. companies remain open during this time of year and require their employees to take personal vacation in order to enjoy extended time off with their families.
Although our work week is longer, we have the benefit of enjoying a generous vacation schedule that provides the rest and rejuvenation needed after many weeks of hard work. Additionally, because our labor laws set limits on overtime, we all avoid the inevitable burn out that comes with working too much. Most employers in Mexico, including Centris, faithfully adhere to those overtime restrictions guarding against fatigue in the workplace. When employees feel that the work-life balanced is honored, then a slightly longer work day feels very do-able and even easy.
