Telefónica

Who we are

Telefónica is a leading European telecommunications operator, providing connectivity and digital services to individuals, companies, and public administrations across Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Headquartered in Madrid at the "Distrito Telefónica" corporate complex (the company also maintains a historic presence in the iconic Gran Vía building). Founded in 1924.

Telefónica's officially-stated mission is to "deliver the best digital experience to all our customers by providing connectivity and advanced services tailored to their needs", with technological innovation and service excellence as foundational pillars. The company commits to building consumer digital trust and aspires to be "a leading European operator" with profitable operations and consolidated regional presence.

Fundación Telefónica

Beyond its commercial operations, Telefónica operates Fundación Telefónica — a separate foundation focused on inclusive digitalisation and digital-skills training.

Four-day work week (Flexible Weekly Bonus)

In June 2022, after a successful 2021 pilot, Telefónica's management agreed with trade unions to offer a voluntary 4-day work week — the "Flexible Weekly Bonus" — to its entire Spanish workforce of approximately 18,000 employees.

Under this option, employees work 32 hours a week (8 hours/day Monday–Thursday) instead of the standard 37.5 hours. Salary is reduced proportionally, but Telefónica reimburses 20% of the reduction — resulting in an effective pay cut of roughly 12–13%. Employees had a one-month window (9 June – 15 July 2022) to opt in.

The agreement followed a multi-year negotiation: an earlier 2021 proposal with a steeper ~16% pay reduction was rejected by Spanish unions before the current, more favourable terms were agreed. The 2022 expansion built on the 2021 pilot scheme that had involved around 150 workers.

Scope note: this pilot/programme applies to Telefónica's Spain workforce specifically (with selected expansion since); not all global Telefónica employees are eligible. By January 2025, Telefónica had continued to extend the programme beyond its initial pilot footprint.

Working at a large telecommunications operator

As a major European telco serving multiple regulated markets, Telefónica offers the baseline benefits expected at scale, including:

• Statutory and corporate parental leave — Spain mandates 16 weeks fully paid for both parents under recent reforms.
• Health insurance — both statutory Spanish coverage and supplementary corporate plans.
• Pension provision — through Spain's social-security system and corporate pension schemes.

Specific terms vary by country, role and collective-bargaining agreement.

Awards & recognition

Telefónica is one of the world's most-recognisable telecom brands and is regularly listed among Europe's largest telecommunications operators by revenue and subscriber base. The 2022 4-day-week roll-out drew international press coverage as one of the largest corporate 4-day-week deployments to date.