Recently, the debate around the 6×1 scale has regained significant strength, both on the internet and on the streets. This happened after Deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) proposed a constitutional amendment (PEC) requesting the reduction of the workweek from 44 to 36 hours and the end of the 6×1 shift. However, if this proposal is approved, how will things proceed from now on?
The first thing people need to understand is that the end of the 6×1 schedule does not mean widespread time off on weekends and that all services – especially commerce – will stop on Saturday and Sunday. After all, there are work shifts, and employees of companies will have to split them, and they can indeed work on weekends, but only if both days are included in the new schedule, the 5×2.
However, this reduction can be a challenge for many organizations that are already accustomed to this work scale model and will need some time to organize themselves, as it is likely that hiring new employees will be necessary, but this requires recalculating budgets and making investments. And we know that from the moment it weighs on entrepreneurs' pockets, it may not work very well at first glance.
A survey conducted by Pontotel, a time and attendance management company in Brazil with over 500,000 employees registered on its time tracking platform, states that the end of the 6×1 shift schedule could impact millions of workers and companies in the country. According to the survey, this model predominates in some sectors: Accommodation and food services (69%), Commerce (49.9%), and Administrative activities (35.1%).
Generally, areas that require continuous work, such as health, tend to follow different schedules and there is no possibility of abandoning the 6×1 or any other schedule. Many doctors work shifts of 36 to 48 hours straight, everything varies according to the hospital's demand and their own availability, so they cannot fit into this new model.
The truth is that everything involving the Brazilian labor scene needs to be evaluated with great caution and without haste. And approval without proper discussion and large-scale impact analysis will be worse not only for the entrepreneur but also for the worker, because it is those who generate jobs, not the government.
The ideal is to have a balance so that the entrepreneur and employees in general are not harmed, but it is necessary to find a middle ground. In this regard, it is extremely important for company managers to start assessing their current situation so that they know what to do if the end of the 6×1 schedule indeed occurs in the near future.
How does the possible end of the 6×1 scale affect my company?
