Alares® and CC.OO-COMFIA are organizing a conference on “The Organic Law on Equality between Men and Women: a Social Requirement, a Business Opportunity”, addressing the application of the Law, how it is implemented through the social partners, how it is defined in companies’ equality plans through collective bargaining, and how it represents an opportunity for business development.
This Organic Law promotes equality between men and women as a constant throughout history, a step forward in the achievement of human rights, and the complete equalization of men and women in every aspect of life. Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón and Ms. Mª Jesús Paredes Gil, General Secretary of CC.OO-COMFIA and President of the Alares® Group, presented the event, placing work-life balance at its center. For his part, Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón stated that the major outstanding issue at the beginning of this new century in achieving effective equality between men and women is support for the family. Hence the need to implement Work, Family and Personal Life Balance Programs in organizations, either by introducing administrative measures such as flexible working hours or by providing employees with services that enable them to care for their families with complete peace of mind while they work, such as the Alares® Family Assistance Program for Work-Life Balance. But this is everyone’s responsibility, not just that of companies. He therefore proposes that implementing the Equality Law requires regulating the conditions that facilitate its introduction. This means developing a Personal Services Law that, through tax and social security policies, eliminates the massive informal economy from the market (currently, most people providing home services are not formally employed by anyone, with no quality controls), increases tax deductions for companies’ assistance to employees in this area, and allows families to deduct the necessary costs of in-home care so that both spouses can fully pursue their professional activities. It is essential to view the family as a small business to be managed, with expenses and income, and with tax contributions based on the difference between income and the expenses necessary to obtain it. In other words, families should be able to deduct the personal assistance expenses they incur so that both spouses can pursue their professional activities on an equal basis. The French example, having recently introduced its Personal Services Law—with 2007 as its first year—is producing excellent results in this regard, despite the fact that the Law could be substantially improved. Nevertheless, this is essential if we want public institutions to help bring the Equality Law into effect in practice. Furthermore, the schedules of public services (schools, daycare centers, institutions, etc.) and private services (banks, stores, etc.) must respond to citizens’ new demands, adapting to what their customers need rather than trying to impose 19th-century schedules and customs. Times have changed, and new realities require services suited to the present day. Mr. Francisco José García Utrilla, Federal Secretary of CC.OO-COMFIA’s Middle Management Association, spoke about work-life balance as a tool for equality and business opportunity. He believes that “it is profitable for companies to support work-life balance: it creates a healthy work environment, a culture of communication and transparency, and increases employees’ level of commitment.” He also confirmed that “Spain ranks ahead of only Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Greece in terms of labor flexibility. In Spain, people work two hundred more hours than in the rest of the European Union.” Ms. Ana Herranz, Federal Women’s Secretary of CC.OO-COMFIA, discussed equality plans in companies and stated that “equality plans establish commitments to non-discrimination and the elimination of sexist conduct. They also identify obstacles to workplace equality through workforce assessments, turning these companies into magnets for future employees and contributing to a fairer society.” A practical example—the Alares® Work-Life and Family Balance Program—was presented by Mr. Fernando Camarero, Head of Institutional Relations at Alares®. He advocates “raising awareness in the business sector and society at large about the importance of work-life and family balance and the use of support networks. This program seeks to promote equality between men and women, reduce stress and anxiety, increase the time devoted to family, and provide greater peace of mind.” He explained that the Alares® Program includes a wide range of family assistance services for employees, their parents, spouses and children, wherever they may be in Spain, for specific situations involving illness, postoperative recovery, or monitoring any family member who may be at risk. The Alares® Program provides employees and their families with the following services, among others, free of charge in exchange for a small monthly fee of less than €5 per employee per month: In-Home Personal Assistance, Specialized In-Home Treatments, 24-hour Preventive and Care Teleassistance, via fixed-line and mobile services, In-Home Teachers for Sick Children, Recruitment of Social and Health Care, Domestic Service or Childcare Personnel, Babysitters or Child Carers for situations that interfere with employees’ professional lives, and Unlimited Telephone Consultations for all employees in the medical, legal, social, psychological, and nutritional fields, among others. The program pays for itself immediately through the reduction in absenteeism it generates, in addition to attracting and retaining the best talent for the company. A roundtable discussion then took place, with the participation of Mr. Juan Gorostidi Pulgar, Director of Labor Relations at Grupo Santander, Mr. Antonio Cruz Bartolomé, Human Resources Director at Caixa Sabadell, Ms. Elena Navarro, Director of Executive Development and HR Innovation Programs at Indra, and Mr. Miguel Ángel Lujua Murga, Managing Director of Mutualia. These companies’ objective is to achieve equal opportunities and collective bargaining on work-life balance, a goal that will gradually be attained. Mr. Miguel Ángel Lujua Murga noted that “the Law is a business opportunity, not a threat, and that a supportive framework must be provided.” Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of the Alares® Group, and Mr. José Mª Martínez López, National Savings Association, in his first event as the successor to Ms. Mª Jesús Paredes Gil as General Secretary of CCOO-COMFIA, closed the event by emphasizing that one of society’s goals must be achieving work-life balance. Javier Benavente insists that work-life balance measures represent a major business opportunity, especially for SMEs, as they have found a way to manage the most important resource in any company: its people. SMEs have it easier than large companies. A good work-life balance program enables them to attract and retain the best talent and project a strong social image in their communities, because society responds positively to those who do things well in this area. For SMEs, work-life balance is one of those strategic market-positioning opportunities that rarely present themselves so clearly. Those that know how to take advantage of it can gain significant benefits with genuinely small investments. It is more a matter of senior management’s concept of the company than of investment, although some initial investment in this area is also necessary. For more information: Natalia Fuentes Marketing and Communications Director at Alares® 91 275 05 55 E-mail: nfuentes@alares.es Ana Mateo Sánchez Communications Department. 91 275 05 83 E-mail: amateo@alares.esSeminar on the Organic Law on Equality between Men and Women
Conference on the Organic Law on Equality between Men and Women: A Social Requirement, a Business Opportunity
