Proper management of Diversity, Work-Life Balance, and Equality are three keys to business success, as was stated this morning at the First Alares International Congress on Quality of Life and Business Competitiveness. This event is being held at IFEMA and has attracted more than 1,000 directors and executives, 56% of them women. Congress participants come mainly from Madrid (39%), 28% from Barcelona, and 22% from other European countries. General managers, Human Resources directors, Corporate Social Responsibility directors, and senior public-sector officials from various fields are sharing experiences and knowledge at this annual forum.
At the Opening Session, Mark Hollingworth, author of the best seller “Growing People, Growing Companies” and founder of 5i Strategic Affairs, explained the keys to success in a world subject to continuous change. “Even if we refuse to change, everything is moving around us.”
Hollingworth maintains that, in today’s society, it is often very difficult to give up professional success. And the cost is an unsatisfied and broken personal and family life.” That is why work-life balance policies are becoming increasingly important, both for individuals and for companies. “A satisfied employee, with working conditions adapted to their needs, makes their company more competitive. Working hours are not important; productivity is.”During this first session and among the various discussion panels taking place at this Congress, the contribution of Myrtha Casanova, President of the European Institute for Diversity Management, stands out. She analyzed Diversity as a means of achieving maximum effectiveness in the workplace.
“Today and in the future, the success and sustainability of companies will not depend exclusively on their size or on the availability of financial and technological resources. Nor will they depend solely on cost reductions, staff restructuring, early retirements, and mergers, which too often only serve to magnify organizations’ profitability problems. They will depend essentially on the ability of their people to manage available resources and processes effectively in a constantly and rapidly changing environment.
In global environments whose intrinsic nature is diversity.” Casanova maintains that only groups of people with diverse profiles—both demographic and organizational—working as a team are capable of optimizing all the resources and systems of organizations. Only diverse, well-integrated human resources teams generate the innovation and creativity needed to ensure the continuity of companies in new global, competitive, and diverse markets.With regard to work-life balance programs, Myrtha Casanova maintains that they allow employees to devote their attention and time to all aspects of their professional lives with a high degree of satisfaction, generating effectiveness and excellence at work.” She also states that “these types of decisions are made at the top, but employees are the ones who have to implement the Strategic Plan—which is why it is important to involve everyone in the process.”
Various practical cases have also been analyzed, involving both local authorities and European companies that have implemented work-life balance plans. Among the most successful examples is that of the Royal Bank of Scotland, whose Corporate Social Responsibility director, Iain MacDonald, presented an assessment of his experience. “We have achieved levels of satisfaction and job performance that would otherwise have been impossible. Our figures confirm this: at least 22% of employees enrolled in flexible working programs, a steady increase in Diversity, and 76% of employees highly satisfied with their work-life balance.” The presence at the First Alares International Congress of public institutions such as Barnet (United Kingdom) and the German city council of Hanau also confirms the growing relevance of these issues in today’s society.
Copyright © 2026, vivofácil
