Time's up for siestas, delayed meetings and late nights, Spaniards told in effort to make them work better Long lunch breaks are a throwback to the time when working outdoors became unbearable in midday temperatures of 40C or more but have persisted - along with the habit of working till 9pm, then socialising until late at night - despite the advent of air conditioned factories, offices and shops. The result is that even though Spaniards put in more hours in total than equivalent workers in Germany, they waste more time and produce far less. They also have on average one hour less sleep per night. "In these difficult and critical times, Spain urgently needs more humane working hours," the Commission says. This would raise productivity, lower absenteeism and accidents, as well as reducing drop-out rates from school. The report also recommends ditching the use of Central European Time which - since Madrid is further west than Plymouth - means daylight and working hours are out of synch. Spain adopted Berlin time in 1942, at the height of the Second World War, when it was sympathetic to Nazi Germany. The Commission has told MPs that a shorter, sharper and better timed working day would improve Spaniards' quality of life, raise the country's low birth rates and reduce the rate of marriage breakdown.