The Alares Foundation and the CEU Madrid Business School organized a conference on Tuesday, November 18, on Work–Life Balance as a
Competitive Strategy for Businesses. The event highlighted the importance of employees’
work–family balance as an opportunity for companies to retain talent, reduce absenteeism, and increase productivity. It also emphasized the importance of work–life balance in directly attracting the best professionals, as it promotes employee commitment, loyalty, and engagement.
Today’s society demands services that improve quality of life and facilitate Work–Family Balance.
Accordingly, the Alares® Foundation pursues its main objectives through research, discussion, contributions, and the development of proposals and solutions for the new needs of the 21st century. Equal opportunities, the elimination of all forms of discrimination, and work–family balance are among the most pressing challenges facing society and, for organizations that commit to them, can become a competitive advantage by improving their strategic positioning in consumers’ minds.
Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of the Alares® Foundation, and
Ms. Rosa Heredero, Director of the
CEU Madrid Business School, opened the conference, placing work–life balance at the center as a powerful business strategy.
Mr. Enrique Arce, Managing Partner of People Matters, and Mr. Luis Castillo, Director of Institutional Projects at Alares®, spoke about attracting and retaining talent and work–life balance.
For their part, Mr. Oscar Massó, Marketing Director of Sodexho Pass, and Ms. Ana Irusta Olondo, Director of Work–Life Balance and Equality at Banesto, presented their business experiences concerning work–life balance and equality.
“Work–Life Balance and Equality in Madrid-Based Businesses” was the title of the panel featuring Ms. Ana Cabezas Fernández, General Director of Frapema, and Mr. Juan Pablo Maldonado Montoya, Professor at CEU San Pablo University and co-author of “Work and Family Life Balance: Challenges and Difficulties for SMEs.”
The event was closed by Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of the Alares® Foundation, and Mr. David Moreno Orduña, Head of Corporate Relations at the San Pablo CEU University Foundation.
About the Alares Foundation®
For more information: www.fundacionalares.es
About the Alares Foundation®
Registered in the Registry of Charitable Foundations of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on March 30, 2006, the Alares® Foundation was established to channel and continue a range of activities previously carried out by the Alares® Group, reflecting its commitment to balancing, through solidarity and institutionalized action, citizens’ needs for social protection and well-being.
The Alares® Foundation aims to research, contribute to, and develop proposals and solutions for the new needs of the 21st century. These include the employment promotion and integration of people with disabilities, equal opportunities and the elimination of all forms of discrimination, support for dependent persons, work–family balance, the integration of migratory flows and multiculturalism, and sustainability—particularly with regard to social cohesion and economic competitiveness—which are among the most pressing challenges facing society.
To this end, the Foundation will conduct studies and research projects and organize discussions, conferences, seminars, awards, and training activities that help meet new public demands and create and develop new employment opportunities and sources of employment, thereby responding to emerging social and business needs. The Foundation will also promote the awarding of scholarships and financial assistance for activities that contribute to its stated objective.
Its purpose, therefore, is to promote and collaborate on initiatives aimed at generally improving people’s living conditions and fostering economic competitiveness and corporate and institutional responsibility.
(*) The Board of Trustees, chaired by Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of Alares®, with Mr. José Manuel Morán Criado as Secretary General, comprises a distinguished group of figures from the worlds of politics, business, and academia: Ms. Blanca Clavijo Juaneda, President of the National Alzheimer’s Association AFALcontigo; Ms. Nuria Chinchilla, Professor and Director of the International Center for Work and Family at IESE–University of Navarra; Ms. María Ángeles Durán Heras, Professor of Sociology and Researcher at the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council); Mr. Ignasi Farreres Bochaca, President of the Centre d’Estudis Economics i Socials; Mr. Felipe Fernández-Atela, President of DEUTSCHE TELEKOM Spain; Mr. José Folgado Blanco, Mayor of Tres Cantos City Council; Mr. Ramón Jáuregui Atondo, Secretary General of the Socialist Parliamentary Group in the Congress of Deputies; Mr. José María Jordá Poyatos, Secretary General of the Spanish Confederation of Managers and Executives—CEDE—and the Spanish Association of Executives—AED; Mr. José Manuel Machado Alique, President of Ford Spain; Mr. Fernando Moreno Piñero, Labor Relations Expert; Mr. Juan Antonio Sagardoy Bengoechea, President of SAGARDOY ABOGADOS; and Ms. Alicia Granados, President of FORÉTICA.
About CEU:
The San Pablo CEU University Foundation is a nonprofit educational institution that reinvests its profits in educating its students.
CEU was founded 75 years ago by the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP), established in 1909 by Father Ángel Ayala. Its co-founder and first President was Cardinal Ángel Herrera Oria. Today, CEU has 24 educational centers offering education from early childhood through postgraduate studies. The Foundation provides a comprehensive education, facilitating access to academic excellence and promoting the construction of a fairer, more supportive society in the service of the common good.
Since its foundation, its three universities have developed steadily growing academic, research, cultural, and social activities, making CEU an undisputed benchmark in Spain’s education sector.
CEU in figures:
- 24 Educational Centers
- 5 Schools
- 3 Universities: Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia
- 12 Faculties
- 3 Business Schools: Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia
- 6 University Research Institutes
- 21 Doctoral Programs
- 100 Master’s and Postgraduate Programs
- 3,300 Annual Study Grants
- 5,000 Collaboration Agreements
- 26,000 Students
- 2,600 Employees
- 30,000 Members of the Alumni Association
