Weekend Long Read: When China Speed Meets Brazil Rhythm

At 4:10 p.m., just 20 minutes before the official end of the workday, the production line at a Chinese-owned factory in Brazil has already fallen quiet. Workers have packed their bags, and a long line snakes toward the time clock.

It is a far cry from the grueling schedules common in China. Here, the factory runs a 44-hour workweek with weekends off, and employees even leave an hour early on Fridays. At 4:30 p.m. sharp, a stream of workers boards company buses that ferry them home, some to neighboring cities as far as 80 kilometers (49.7 miles) away.

At 4:30 p.m., employees at a Chinese-owned factory in Brazil wait in line to clock out. Work hours for locals cannot exceed 44 hours per week, even with organized overtime.

The relaxed pace reflects a recent all-staff vote to move the workday forward by two hours, giving employees time to hit the gym, shop for groceries or visit a bank before everything closes.