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Change in São Paulo supermarket occurs while the debate on ending the 6×1 schedule is now in the Senate, after approval in the Chamber, and tests a model with two weekly days off at a unit in Nova Odessa.
Grupo São Vicente started testing the 5×2 schedule at the Nova Odessa store, in the interior of São Paulo, in a change that replaces the 6×1 model and guarantees two days off per week to the unit’s employees.
The implementation began this Monday (01), while the proposal that reduces the maximum weekly working hours from 44 to 40 is now in the Federal Senate, after approval in two rounds in the Chamber of Deputies.
Adopted as a pilot project, the initiative will be monitored by the network before any decision on expansion to other stores, with evaluation of internal indicators related to operation and people management.
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At this first moment, the company maintained the employees’ weekly working hours, but reorganized the schedule to concentrate work in five days and extend the weekly rest period.
To accommodate the new format, the Nova Odessa unit also changed the opening hours on Sundays, a measure that is part of the operational reorganization adopted during the pilot project.
Since May 31, 2026, the store has been operating from 7 am to 8 pm on Sundays, while the working hours from Monday to Saturday remain from 7 am to 10 pm.
The change occurs amid the advancement of the national discussion on ending the 6×1 schedule, a regime in which the worker works six days and has one day of rest per week.
In the food retail sector, where weekend operations require alternating schedules, supermarket chains have started testing new work arrangements to measure effects on operation, absences, turnover, and team organization.
5×2 Schedule in Nova Odessa Will Be Evaluated by the Network
In the unit chosen for the pilot, the 5×2 schedule establishes five days of work and two days of rest per week, without automatically altering the weekly limit of hours worked by the employees.
The model, at this stage, does not represent a reduction in the weekly work schedule, but changes the distribution of working days and increases the number of days off within the organization defined by the company.
According to the network, indicators related to store operations and people management will be monitored, including absences, unplanned absences, employee turnover, and effects on the unit’s daily functioning.
The decision to extend the format to other units will depend on the results observed during the test period, with no public deadline set for a possible expansion of the 5×2 schedule.
The company will also evaluate the ability to maintain customer service and the routine of internal sectors, such as supply, cashiers, bakery, butcher, and support areas.
With earlier closing on Sundays, the unit now has a new organizational basis to distribute teams, adjust days off, and adapt the schedule to the busiest days.
End of the 6×1 schedule is now in the Senate
The adoption of the 5×2 schedule by supermarkets occurs at a time when the topic has left the Chamber of Deputies and is now being analyzed by the Federal Senate.
The Chamber approved, on May 27, 2026, the PEC 221/2019, which provides for the end of the 6×1 schedule and gradually reduces the weekly work limit.
Today, the proposal is under consideration in the Senate, a necessary step for the change to be incorporated into the Federal Constitution.
According to the text approved by the deputies, private sector workers would be entitled to two days of paid rest per week, within a transition defined in the proposal.
The measure provides for an initial reduction of the workweek to 42 hours, after an adaptation period, and a subsequent decrease to 40 hours per week, without salary reduction for the covered workers.
Despite approval in the Chamber, the change still depends on a vote in the Federal Senate to come into effect, as constitutional amendment proposals need to pass two rounds in both Houses.
While the PEC is not enacted, private sector companies can adopt the 5×2 schedule on their own decision, as long as they comply with labor legislation, collective agreements, and specific rules of each category.
The approved text also seeks to preserve salary floors and prevent the reduction of working hours from resulting in loss of remuneration, according to the rules provided in the proposal under consideration.
There are, however, specific points for activities with differentiated regimes, outsourced contracts linked to the public sector, and higher-paid professionals, according to the design approved by the Chamber.
Supermarkets reorganize schedules in São Paulo
The São Vicente Group is not the only supermarket chain in São Paulo testing the reorganization of the schedule, in a movement that gained momentum in the sector during the processing of the PEC.
Savegnago also started adopting the 5×2 work schedule in units in the State of São Paulo, after previous experiences in the chain’s stores, keeping the weekly workload within the current legal limit.
In this format, the change occurs by redistributing the work over five days, with more concentrated daily shifts instead of dividing the work over six days of the week.
The Pague Menos Supermarket Chain also began expanding the 5×2 model in 2026, with gradual adoption in units in the interior of São Paulo and adjustments in the organization of days off.
In the chain, the new format began to include changes in schedules, operating hours on Sundays, and monitoring of internal indicators, according to information released by the company itself.
These initiatives indicate that part of the food retail sector has started testing alternative models before any potential constitutional change, without this currently representing a general obligation for the entire sector.
At the same time, supermarkets need to keep stores open for extended hours, including weekends, which requires reorganization of teams and analysis of the costs involved in each operation.
40-hour workweek is not yet in effect
Although the 5×2 schedule can already be adopted by companies, the mandatory reduction of the weekly workweek to 40 hours is not yet in effect nationwide.
The national change depends on the completion of the PEC’s processing in the Senate, where the text needs to be approved in two rounds before proceeding to promulgation by the National Congress.
If the senators approve the proposal without changes, the amendment can be promulgated and will alter the constitutional workweek standard applicable to workers covered by the measure.
If there are changes in the content during the Senate review, the text will need to return to the Chamber of Deputies, which may extend the proposal’s processing time.
Until the new rule is promulgated, the current constitutional limit of 44 hours per week remains in effect, with the possibility of compensation, collective bargaining, and specific regimes provided for in the legislation.
Therefore, projects like that of the São Vicente Group are voluntary business decisions at this time, and not an obligation already imposed nationally by labor legislation.
In the Nova Odessa supermarket, the experience will serve to measure how the 5×2 schedule affects rest, productivity, and operation within the unit chosen for the pilot project.
The result followed by the network may guide internal decisions in a sector that remains attentive to the progress of the 40-hour workweek proposal in the Federal Senate.
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