How do companies see telework?

COVID-19 has brought about changes in our lives, and no one knows if we will return to the previous normal; maybe this will be the new normal. Whatever it is, we have reinvented ourselves and got used to teleworking, the hybrid format, and avoiding social contact. 

We spoke to four Catalan companies to find out how they have adapted to the pandemic.

1. Before the pandemic, had you teleworked?
2. How was the communication and relationship among the staff during the pandemic?
3. Did you have to look for alternative methods, such as online teamwork platforms?
4. How are you living it now? Have you returned to the offices or are you doing a hybrid format?

Luis Rodríguez, Marketing and Sales Director | Bella Aurora

1. No. We mostly work in the office with some flexibility to be able to work from home at specific times, such as family situations or personal arrangements, but very sporadically.
2. Very well, there was a lot of constant communication and a lot of team feeling. People turned to help with the situation, and this allowed us to continue the activity with very little impact. Although the relationship at first cost a little more due to the lack of direct contact, we sought complementary reasons and ways to compensate for this lack of face-to-face contact.
3. The first thing that was done was to provide all the people who did not have it with portable computer equipment and remote connections to work from home. We had already started using some computer tools for remote collaborative work, and with the pandemic we will speed up their use. We mostly use Microsoft applications and in particular we use Teams and Planner very intensely.
4. We have not returned yet, because the situation is not yet fully resolved. We plan to return in early September, when we hope we can all be vaccinated.

Gina Solé, Marketing Manager | Storytel Spain

1. Before the pandemic, I teleworked at very specific times. If one day you are not feeling well, or you have an appointment with the doctor, for example. But there has never been total flexibility.
2. In my case, I joined Storytel in November 2020 and until two weeks ago, I didn’t meet the team in person! It was a weird mix, we knew each other, but at the same time it was weird to see our full bodies. Pandemic communication is reduced to many (perhaps too many) video calls.
3. Yes, we looked for a way to be able to organize all the projects we have on the table and weekly 1-to-1 meetings.

    

4. So far we have not returned. There is free choice to go to the office whenever you want, but Storytel is very aware of the current situation in all the countries where it is present, and we are all teleworking. In addition, they have already implemented a super-flexible post-pandemic telework strategy. Which I find great.

Almudena Cara, People Manager | Buff

1. Yes, we had Home Office policy for a year and a half, one day a week for all people who had to travel more than 30 km or had to work on projects. Precisely in February, we had conducted an assessment survey of both people working from home and their managers to expand groups and days improving aspects.
2. Internal communication became an indispensable element to be able to manage the situation. In the first weeks of the pandemic, communication was almost daily via email and Intranet. At all times, people knew in what situation we were and how we should act. We also intensify the use of the Intranet to give voice to all people in the company by sharing both operational messages (focused on the safety and health of workers), strategic messages (sales evolution and company situation), and messages with more human content. We launched a series of personal interviews called “A day confined with…” where a person from the team told us about how they lived their day to day, recommended activities to do in confinement, books… We even celebrated from the news of a pregnancy to a birth, as well as celebrating St. George’s Day with a Jordi and a Jordina. There was a lot of emotional support to help adjust the work at home for those people who had not experienced it so far: it was not the same to telework by personal choice as by forced obligation, as was the case.
3. Yes, we started using Teams. All meetings, both internal and external, were held online. In this sense, we had no barriers to be able to continue developing our daily activity. Everyone at home had the same equipment we had in the offices (dual screens, elevators, keyboards, helmets, and laptops), making it easy to stay connected at all times.
4. We currently continue to telework, with the possibility of coming one day a week for those who want it, without exceeding a maximum occupancy that we have established while we are in COVID-19 situation. During this period, we took the opportunity to review the telework policy that we had by extending its application to all office people and establishing a hybrid model of 3 days home and 2 in the offices. This model is fully flexible, with a common schedule of 6 hours (from 10 to 16) and the rest flexible, individually manageable. The holding of hybrid meetings has been extended, for which we have equipped different company rooms with systems that provide us with the possibility of holding a face-to-face meeting of more than one person with people in other locations. We are also working on a project to reformulate the offices to promote collaborative work and hot desking, making the offices disappear and prioritizing open spaces of different uses for the moment when we can return with the usual frequency.

Neus Rodríguez, Hospital Medical Visitor | Laboratoris Rovi

1. No, we had never done telework.  
2. Well, adapting to the medium full-tilt. We adapted the communication within the company very quickly. What was and is more complicated are the meetings in hospitals with doctors. We had to look for and think about options that had never been implemented before. 
3. Yes, we use Teams and Zoom to be able to hold team meetings. 
4. In my case, I’m doing hybrid format, that is, half face-to-face and half telework. In the case of Catalonia, medical visits are only allowed in private hospitals.

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The pandemic has forced many businesses to rethink their work model. Several companies are now thinking more about the holistic wellbeing of their employees, where their happiness and physical wellbeing is as important as their income. This has created a new position within businesses: the Wellness Manager.

Looking back at this past 2020, we can take stock of the burnout suffered by workers in the healthcare sector. This event has made large organisations realise the need to create a figure within businesses beyond the human resources director, an expert profile in the well-being of their staff, as Colleen Reilly explains in Forbes magazine. As Dr. Jonathan Ripp, director of wellness at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains to Forbes, this profile has grown on a large scale in many companies this past 2020, and believes that it may be a very common professional profile in the next ten years from now, especially in large companies.

Beyond the human resources department: the welfare manager

And what is the task of a welfare manager? Well, according to Reilly herself, it has to be a person who supports the human resources director of the company, to work together and strategically with the same common goal: to generate well-being for their workers. A few days ago, Amazon went further and posted a news item with its new wellness tool for workers: a relaxation cabin called Amazen. The news caused so much criticism on the net that, hours later, Amazon deleted the news, and now it is only available in other news media, such as Euronews. Perhaps Amazon wanted to go further but too fast in terms of advances for the wellbeing of its workers, we will focus on explaining what are the skills of a wellbeing manager.

Businesses promote wellness culture

Colleen Reilly analyses this figure as a profile responsible for having a culture and an ethic of well-being within the entire organisation, with the skills to know how to integrate both professional well-being, physical well-being and not forgetting to highlight the financial well-being of each of the workers. It also has to be a person with a high strategic and business vision, a visionary, influential, empathetic person, with knowledge of workers’ experiences and, above all, collaborative. This figure is beginning to bear fruit, and specifically  David Tomás has been the first person to be recognised as the first director of happiness in our country, with the promotion of people’s well-being.

Do you feel like looking for new professional challenges? What do you think about trying your hand at managing people’s wellbeing? Times are changing and businesses are adapting their working environments to their employees. And we ask ourselves: How soon will you see this new profile called wellness manager in our work organisation?

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The value of things lies in the right balance between two extremes that are usually more similar than we think: trust and distrust. This fact becomes very important in regard to the first term, trust, as it is a basic quality in human relations. Taking into account this complicated tandem, where does the entrepreneur stand?

Distrustful business leaders

Those that management theories nurture as selfish beings who only seek their own personal gain. Normally, employers who have been educated in this tradition end up thinking that workers have the opposite interests to their own (to work as little as possible), when they want them to do just the opposite (to work as much as possible, maximize productivity with the minimum cost). And what does the worker think? For the employer to get all the credit, I do enough. And he deserves it, for having bad thoughts about me. And I won’t go on, we all know how the story goes.

At this point, the employer becomes obsessed with controlling the selfish worker, and having tried all possible control systems, he ends up seeing that there is none that guarantees this control. Conclusion: the intelligent employer will end up seeing that the theory of absolute control based on distrust is irrational. And quite useless, too. Because it is not based on what people are like.

People need to trust and be trusted. And trust is based on what the other person is like: on their professional competence, their desire to do things well (integrity) and their ability to act for interests that are not exclusively their own (despite losing in the short term). Thus, to always start from a position of mistrust shows a complete lack of judgement. We are taking for granted a theory that is neither valid nor practical, and that is unfair to the worker and the employer. The other person is not always as I see him/her, and I have to learn to see him/her as he/she is.

Confident employers

Now we go to the other extreme, confident employers. Those who want “a better place”. They suffer from the syndrome of blind trust, which they justify in a shallow way, to make themselves feel good. Telling employees what we don’t like is difficult, and the superficial good feeling vanishes mercilessly. But even if it is hard to say what you don’t like, it is the way to make the relationship real.

This is how trust, so necessary to make things work, becomes real. And only genuine trust generates positive consequences. I can’t trust a manifestly incompetent person, and I have to tell them so. So he can improve while allowing those who do well to be treated according to how well they do well. There is nothing more unbearable than a boss who treats everyone the same, whether they are trying to do well or not. Dealing with such a manager is a torture I do not wish on anyone.

Treat each other differently

Therefore, to follow a theory that does not work is to have no judgement. It clashes with the reality that in relationships between people, trust is necessary. We need others (their experience, integrity and good intentions towards us). However, to blindly trust everyone is to have no judgement in assessing the relationship: it creates unfairness and makes no one better.

People should treat each other differently, depending on what they do and how they do it. The extremes touch each other because they generate very similar consequences and are based on our resignation as managers to learn to have judgement: to get wet (with the option of being wrong and having to rectify) and not to get carried away by our short-term reactions (whether it is the good vibe of “everyone is good” or the bad vibe of “everyone is lazy”). We have to train our judgement to avoid extremes.

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Nerves, worry, headache or muscle strain. These are just some of the symptoms generated by financial anxiety, that is, the constant worry about financial matters. A real problem that conditions people’s lives, but that we can reduce with patience and personal management.

Have you ever avoided going into your bank account for fear of seeing the amount of money you have? Have you ever felt guilty when you have spent money on a service or material object that was not strictly necessary? Do you feel anxious when you receive a letter from the bank? If you have answered “yes” to any of these situations, you have indeed suffered from the popular financial anxiety. A problem that has further impacted the health of society because of the pandemic and that also manifests itself physically through insomnia, muscle contractions and stress, among others. The bad news is that this anxiety will not disappear from one day to the next; the good news is that we can learn to control it in order to try to live with it.

• Detect the origin of the fear and start working to solve it.

Everything has an origin and surely there is a specific problem or concern that generates most of your discomfort. Although it is difficult, it is important to detect what it is in order to manage it. To do this, we can write down on a piece of paper what is going through our heads until we find out what it is that is upsetting us. For example, job instability is one of the most recurrent; the fear of being out of work. In this case and to start managing it, we can start actively looking for a job or make a monthly budget of the money we can spend until the end of the month. The goal is to be able to take small steps like these to help us reduce the worry at source and thus know that we are already doing something to solve it. 

• Understand your own finances better

It’s not uncommon to receive a letter from the bank full of initials and words about economics that knocks us off our game. No, you are not less intelligent than the rest, it is completely normal not to master this kind of vocabulary. Knowing and researching a little more about economics can also help us to know what is happening with our income and what kind of products we are contracting and, therefore, more peace of mind. Reading from time to time the economic press or internet portals where they clearly explain terms or clauses in which you are involved is one of the resources that can help us in this aspect. Ten minutes a day is enough. 

•  Stay positive!

We know it’s easy to say and very difficult to do, but a positive mindset will help us combat our anxiety. Instead of going over and over the same concern thinking that it will not be solved, try to understand that the flow of money goes up and down and that, many times, it is not only up to you. The economic situation can always improve and with it, job opportunities. In the meantime, and to keep anxiety at bay, we can carry out activities that help us relax and release endorphins that keep us positive. Physical exercise, yoga or hobbies that require manual labour can help us to concentrate and minimize our daily problems. 

In summary, the keys to managing stress caused by financial anxiety are basic yet essential. There is no magic formula, with patience and small steps you will be able to keep the anxiety that stops you from enjoying the little things, at bay.

Although it may seem unlikely, special moments will come again and you will have to be prepared for them. If you have had to cancel a special event and you are setting possible new dates for the end of this year or next year, this article will be very useful for you to be able to prepare yourself financially, in time and face those special expenses with ease.

Last year we had to cancel all events, we did not enjoy special days, such as weddings, celebrations, meetings, parties… And even today we are still waiting for the so desired herd immunity. But, let’s be positive! Everything will come and with it, the good times. Here are some tips that can work for you.

The company, the most important thing

First make a list of attendees with the people you think will be able to come. Now is not the time to invite family members who are far away, people you haven’t seen for a long time, or people who have commitments. Invite people close to you who make you happy and this will make your event more intimate and authentic. Once you have the number of guests, make a budget of the money you can count on and that way you will know how much money you can spend. We advise you not to count on money for gifts.  You can opt for a digital invitation, there are many applications that will allow you to make spectacular designs and if it is not your forte surely you have someone close to you who has good taste and can do it, you will save on the cost of having it professionally designed, printing and shipping.

And now… Planning!

Choose a day during the week, teleworking has brought us many advantages and this is one of them, you will be able to celebrate your special day during the week and it will not be an issue for your guests because they can recover it another day plus the cost of the place where you are going to celebrate it (hotel, restaurant, farmhouse) will be lower than during the weekend. You can save up to 20%. 

Out of season: most events such as weddings, communions, baptisms, are held between May and September, the prices outside these months are much cheaper. Events in winter and autumn are very original, do not discard these months.

The dress can cost a lot of money because we want to be different and dazzle with our dress or suit, think about this point if it is worth spending so much for a few hours. Consider renting, you can find the dress and suit of your dreams for that day but a dress you will probably never wear again. 

If you have enough time, bet on the do it yourself, DIY, decoration, the names you want to put on the table to identify each guest, search for social networks like Pinterest and you will find millions of ideas and how to do it, besides saving a significant amount of money you will love the results and all done with your little hands. The new normality is making us change many habits, it is preferable that you do something informal in which guests can stand and have lunch or dinner that is outdoors, so there will be the possibility of having more distance and hygiene. If you opt for this option, you can make food stations where people can comfortably take what they most want, it will always be cheaper than a closed and individual menu.

Think of an alternative to flowers, or choose seasonal ones. If you want to be more daring, there are other options such as candles, bamboo, glass that you can even rent. When decorating we usually spend a lot of money on flowers to make sure the photos look good but you may be surprised by the result and your pocket will thank you for it.

The photos and the video are the most beautiful memories you will have forever, but it is also an important cost in your budget, choose not to take the most expensive package, a cheaper option will still capture the most special moments. Involve your guests in taking pictures with their mobile phones and then share them, it will be a very funny album.

Some more tips

Sometimes we think that hiring a specialist to help you organize your event can be very expensive, but it is not, if you do not know where to start, they will save you a lot of headaches, they will stick to your budget and will recommend everything you like, but looking for the best prices, they have a wide range of options to offer you what you need.

Have extra money. When you start to organize an event, there are always last minute things that you didn’t count on, plan your budget well to be able to solve those last little things, the goal is that you feel comfortable with everything you are creating to make it a 10 day. Surely you have a lot of things that you haven’t used for a long time, if so, open your account on Wallapop and sell clothes and objects, you will be able to get some extra money for your budget.

We agree that a communion, the celebration of your child’s 18th birthday, or a wedding, have to be one of the most special days of your life, but you also know they can be expensive days. It is not worth getting into debt in exchange for a day of laughter and emotions, follow these simple tips to make your day unique and unforgettable and not a nightmare for your pocket.

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Tax declaration is an indispensable process, but it can lead to laziness among the population. That said, with the following guidelines, you can become a real expert and finish it in no time. Here are some tips on how to report taxes quickly and effectively and not to die trying.

• Let’s start from the beginning

Before you dive into numbers, are you sure you must file the report? When the answer to this question is clear, it will be up to you to clarify which type of taxes you are obliged to report and which are tax-exempted. Remember that, even if you are not obliged to file the tax declaration, 75% of taxes are returned, that is, the Treasury returns you some money you already paid. That said, remember that, as a general rule, those taxpayers whose income is greater than EUR 22,000 per year must submit the tax report. And, above all, do not forget to verify that the Treasury has your correct tax address. If not, they could sanction and fine you.

Another factor to consider is whether we have found ourselves in an atypical situation such as a temporary employment regulation dossier (ERTO). This implies that you are obliged to submit the tax report, since an ERTO necessarily means that, for a certain time, you have had two payers: the company and the Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE). In this case, the annual income ceiling is reduced to EUR 14 000; that said, the amount received from the two payers must not exceed EUR 1500 annually for any of them. It is necessary that a payer can be for instance a rent from a owned property, or even without receiving effectively a rent, just an attributed rent of 1.500 euros per year.

One last thing before we start! Will you file an individual report or a joint report? The joint report is recommended when one of the two persons receives no income or very low income. Instead, the individual report is better when both family members work. Now let’s get to work!

• Submerge fully in the tax report

The first thing to do is to access your draft, a 7-page document that has been produced by the Tax Agency with all your tax data. Verify that the data is correct and check that certain costs have been deducted from work performance. If you bought your home before 2013, check also that the deduction was applied. This also applies to those who live on rent and signed the contract before 2015.

If you have a pension plan, indicate so in the corresponding box. Remember that contributions to NGOs or political parties are tax-deductible. Finally, find the result of the report and make sure it is correct: you can see it in the 550 box. If it is preceded by a negative sign, you will receive a deposit from the Treasury with an IRPF return. If, on the contrary, you must pay, you have to make a deposit to the Tax Agency. In case the result is not correct, you must go back to square 1 and start again.
Once you’ve finished the report, the following question is: how long do I have to wait to know if the money is returned to me? Very easy, one week to six months. Patience!

Even if it seems complex, the tax report simply takes time. Find your draft and start filling it calmly. Remember to verify all information and correct any incorrect data to avoid doing things twice. Good luck!