Alfonso Jiménez, Managing Partner of People Matters, a leading expert in business leadership and strategic people management in national and international organizations, presented at the Alares Senior Management Forum the keys to facing the future of business from a position of differentiation and leadership within the 2020 Strategies cycle.
The event also featured D. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of Alares, who stated that being part of the 2020 business model requires a process of business transformation that will only be possible if we are able to take on the challenges we face today.
Madrid. October 7. The Circulo Encuestre de Barcelona hosted a new Alares Senior Management Forum yesterday, as part of the "2020 Strategies" Cycle, under the title "Trends in Our Labor Market and Their Influence on Business Competitiveness", which was also held the previous week in Madrid, at the Club Financiero Génova.
For D. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of Alares, these meetings with leaders of the main companies operating in the Spanish market are an opportunity to reflect on the current business and social situation, and are essential for highlighting what needs to be done to face the future with strength and from a position of leadership.
He also stated that "to reach that position of leadership, it is vital to manage customer experiences and bear in mind that the welfare state in which we operate is ultimately sustained by the business market, with companies and workers being its sole driving force."
After D. Javier Benavente's remarks, D. Alfonso Jiménez began his presentation by emphasizing the importance of human capital in developing companies' strategies.
He also analyzed current market trends, explaining how the population pyramid has changed and how we need to prepare for it. Presenting the figures, he noted that we have the lowest birth rate in the world, at one child per woman.
"One of the forces that will most change our HR policies will be public pressure not to remove workers from our companies at a certain age."
For D. Alfonso Jiménez, diversity has different dimensions and, in an increasingly diverse society, the most important will be the generational dimension, which must be addressed through different programs. The great challenge we face, therefore, will be population aging and its impact on our human capital strategies.
He also highlighted that, if we analyze life expectancies around the world, we see that the Spanish population over 65 already accounts for 17%, a percentage that will reach around 40% in approximately 20 years. This very high life expectancy makes Spain the country in the world with the highest percentage of people over 65, which will have a significant impact on our labor market and workforce management.
Spain will be one of the first countries in the world to experience this situation, so we will have to innovate, as we will not be able to copy this from any other country: we will be the first to experience it and must therefore prepare for it. With life expectancy continually increasing, the problem is that companies will have people working until the age of 70. It is therefore necessary to create management models based on workforces with a much wider age range, and to implement programs to prevent absenteeism and promote work-life balance.
Another problem we face in the current market is that the Spanish education system is out of balance with the needs of our labor market, producing more university graduates than we need, while vocational training suffers from a shortage of places. This urgently requires adapting university degree programs to business realities, while also enhancing the prestige of vocational education.
"We need to attract and retain talent"
In the words of D. Alfonso Jiménez, we need to attract and retain global talent, for which a strong employer brand image is essential. To achieve this, it is necessary to invest in work-life balance policies for employees and their families, as this investment will translate in the short term into increased productivity, greater employee commitment, reduced absenteeism and, consequently, the desired employer brand image.
Along these lines, D. Alfonso Jiménez concluded his presentation by emphasizing the importance of going beyond the salary-and-money factor by using approaches that appeal to emotions, noting that large companies making a substantial investment in employer branding will see their reputation improve.
After the presentation, the attendees—executives and HR managers—were able to exchange views and discuss the topics presented.
