Interview with Javier Benavente for Aedipe, Managing People.
Numerous companies have already implemented the Alares 360º Plan with great success. It is a fact that Alares is the leading company in our country in Social and Responsible Innovation and in caring for people. What is the reason for your success?
Experience certainly counts. At Alares, we have been providing services to people and their families since 1999. The Alares management team has more than 25 years of experience providing companies with services to improve productivity, employee engagement, and their employer brand. More than 4.5 million people in Spain and Portugal already have the right to use Alares services whenever and wherever they need them. Many companies of all sizes have implemented these services to facilitate work-life balance for their employees and families, or to retain customers and differentiate themselves, with excellent results.
What are the determining factors that lead major brands to trust you?
In addition to our previous experience, which is essential for large companies, the main reasons companies trust us are:
- We provide the services directly, using our own staff, without intermediaries or franchises, anywhere—even in the most remote locations—throughout the country. This is especially important when providing such sensitive and necessary assistance to people and their families, often in their own homes.
- Because the investment pays for itself very quickly by having a strong impact on reducing absenteeism and therefore improving productivity. According to anonymous surveys conducted among employees, more than 50% of absenteeism is caused by family-related issues (children, elderly people, sick or dependent persons, etc.); around 18% is due to activities related to leisure, professional development, administrative procedures with public authorities, and necessary professional consultations; and around 10% is related to the home and vehicle (purchases, rentals, repairs, home and equipment maintenance—appliances, electronics, IT, etc.—vehicle inspections, driving licence renewals, etc.). Alares is an expert in all these areas, providing immediate and direct assistance to employees and their families while they work, enabling them to manage their personal, professional, and family responsibilities with a better quality of life.
Can you name a company that has implemented Alares services for its employees and families?
They range from self-employed people with employees to SMEs and large companies. Some of the best-known are
REPSOL, PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN, ENAGAS, DIAGEO, VESTAS, PUIG, CEOE, ADECCO, NISSAN, etc. All of them are companies that understand that CSR is a fundamental aspect of management and that caring about the quality of life of their employees and families is socially and economically beneficial.
The Alares 360º Plan goes beyond work-life balance
The
Alares 360º Plan is aligned with the SPANISH GOVERNMENT’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2014–2016 on Equality and Work-Life Balance, and with the SPANISH CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY 2014–2020 approved by the State Council for Corporate Social Responsibility (CERSE). Consequently, all companies that implement this Plan automatically receive the
Alares Certificate of “Socially Responsible Company with Its Employees and Society.”
This Plan includes five major complementary areas. Any of the following modules can be added to Area 1, Work-Life Balance Services, all for a small fixed cost per employee per month:
Work-Life Balance Services for employees’ personal, family, and professional lives, including:
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Concierge or Personal Assistant for anything they and their families may need.
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Professional assistance by telephone, online, and in person for everything they may need (family doctors, paediatricians, social experts, nutritionists, psychologists, lawyers, IT and home technology technicians, business administration services, home repairs, handymen, etc.).
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In-Home Assistance and Care during convalescence: Home Help Services (childcare, care for elderly or sick people, etc.), Support and Specialized Treatments (physiotherapists, psychologists, podiatrists, nurses, 24-hour Telepharmacy, private tutors, etc.) for all employees and their families.
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Emergency Monitoring and Telecare for people at risk.
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Activities, conferences, and events at the company for employees and their families.
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Assistance with EQUALITY in Employment, MOBBING, and WORKPLACE HARASSMENT.
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DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT in the workforce.
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Integration of PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES in the company.
Companies can also take action to
PREVENT AND RAISE AWARENESS OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE and provide ASSISTANCE BEFORE A COMPLAINT IS FILED for their employees and families.
You are also a Special Employment Centre. Does this provide any additional benefit for companies?
Yes, of course. All services purchased from Alares Social are Responsible Purchases and can be counted by companies as an “Alternative Measure” for compliance with the LISMI, since we are the ones creating jobs for people with disabilities within our workforce.
