Reduction of the 42-hour work week in Colombia: impact on productivity and challenges for companies
Starting July 15, companies in Colombia must adjust the maximum work week to 42 hours, in compliance with Law 2101 of 2021, which established a progressive decrease from the current 48 hours until 2023. This transition has been implemented gradually without affecting workers' salaries.
TL;DR
- Colombian companies must reduce the maximum work week to 42 hours starting July 15, 2023.
- Companies that have redesigned processes and adopted results-based management have seen productivity increases of 5% to 10%.
- Organizations that simply reduced hours without structural changes experienced performance drops of up to 3%.
- Key performance indicators like goal achievement (OKRs, KPIs), productivity per hour, delivery times, and overall efficiency are being strengthened.
- Companies are implementing strategies such as reducing meeting length, reorganizing shifts, eliminating unproductive time, and using technology for automation.
- Experts recommend managing by clear objectives, automating administrative tasks, prioritizing high-impact activities, and promoting autonomous teams.
- Challenges include reducing hours without transforming processes, maintaining micromanagement, and failing to prepare leaders for results-oriented models.