Brazilian companies test new five day work week before law takes effect

A supermarket chain in Brazil is testing a new 5 x 2 work schedule to prepare for a law that guarantees two days of paid rest per week.

The Brazilian Congress passed this legislation to end the previous 6 x 1 schedule. The new law officially takes effect on December 16. The supermarket owner created a rotating system of four color coded teams to ensure fair rest days without hiring more staff or closing the store.

Each team includes workers from various departments, such as the meat department, to maintain constant staffing. Because fixed weekly days off are disappearing, the teams rotate their rest days each week. For example, one team might rest on Monday and Thursday one week, then move to Tuesday and Friday the next week. The company chose this system to avoid the financial losses of closing a day a week or raising product prices to pay for new employees.

Because the current trial period still requires a 44 hour work week, employees currently work an additional hour and 18 minutes per day. When the law starts in December, the work week will drop to 42 hours, meaning the daily increase will be 40 minutes. In one year, the work week will drop to 40 hours, leaving a 20 minute daily increase. The system faces challenges during public holidays when the store remains open.

The law requires employees who work on those holidays to receive an extra day off, which stretches the available staff. While the new schedule provides more rest time for workers to handle personal matters, it also increases their daily responsibilities and working hours.