Santiago García: “I hope that a better future of work is possible for all.”

In 2016, Santiago García, together with Jordi Serrano, decided to launch the Future For Work Institute. It is an observatory with an eye on the evolving world of work, particularly on the people who are managing organizations. We had a one-on-one interview with Santi about his Future For Work Institute project. Also, what worries companies most, the teleworking setup, the implementation of the four-day work week, the future of work…

Why did you decide to launch Future For Work Institute last 2016?

Actually, I had various reasons. First, Jordi and I came from very similar professional backgrounds: human resources and business, and later, human resources consulting. In 2013, we wrote a book entitled El ocaso del empelo, with the future of employment as the central theme.

Drawing on our experience, we realized how much the workplace setting, the labor market, work organisation, and technology have changed. This was when we began to think about how we could help our existing clients and organizations orient themselves in this changing world.

We realized that we could help by giving out information and learning as a service by bringing together professionals in human resources or managerial positions. We then packaged and selected data on trends, specifically those related to the work environment, the economy, technology, and society.

Simultaneously, we connected our clients with experts who could keep them up to date with the latest news. We also organized meetings where participants could share their experiences.

From your experience, what would you say are the issues that concern companies the most? 

We work with very diverse companies from various sectors, business perspectives, organizational cultures, and management styles. The pandemic has caused a similar variation in the priorities regarding the management of people in companies. When the COVID-19 crisis broke out, all companies found themselves focused on issues such as workers’ health and teleworking.

These things are what worries companies now. But, when we ask them what they are going to worry about later, we see that there are many themes that they have in common. These are the ones that stand out from the rest:

• leadership,
• new working methods,
• professional requalification to quickly adapt to these changes,
• and workforce strategic planning.

Are companies showing a specific interest in maintaining teleworking? Or do you see them wanting to return to face-to-face as soon as possible?

I would say that teleworking has come here to stay. Once the pandemic is over, either there would still be more teleworking than before the pandemic, or perhaps, there will not be as much teleworking as we do have during the pandemic. To begin with, there will be more companies that will allow their workers to telecommute. How so? The argument most companies believed no longer holds true today, and that is the commonly held view that teleworking is impossible.

Throughout the pandemic and after the government imposed lockdowns, we learned that working remotely is doable for most of us. However, it is also true that several companies that allow a certain degree of teleworking will grow. If that is the case, then we will most likely end up with a hybrid model that combines face-to-face with remote work.

“Throughout the pandemic and after the government imposed lockdowns, we learned that working remotely is doable for most of us.”

Another point that is being talked about and debated a lot is the four-day workweek. Do you think its implementation is viable in the short or medium term? 

One must understand that the four-day workweek cannot be taken either as a prescription or an obligation that a company should impose. To put this question in perspective, it is imperative to bear in mind that underemployment is one of the most significant problems in the labor market. Therefore, working hours can be reduced without lowering wages as long as this decrease in hours is associated with increased productivity. But then, this increase in productivity can be either straightforward or complex, depending on the activity you do.

For example, in low-value-added services, margins are already very tight, and the increase in productivity is very complicated. However, in sectors with more added value, productivity increases are more apparent. In societies with a strong presence of low-productivity sectors, implementing the four-day workweek will be more challenging. Because it is not all about limiting the number of hours; the cut in hours must be accompanied by increased productivity.

How do you see the future of work? 

Right now, we are at a turning point and at a very critical moment. I hope that a better future of work is possible for all and not only something we see in specific places. To build and achieve this future of work, we must roll up our sleeves and take action, and above all, we must overcome the short-term vision that we currently have. To overcome the situation we are in from a labor perspective and build a future in which we want to participate, we need clearly defined and formulated agreements between the workplace and the education sector.

For example, one problem is the gap between the supply of education and companies’ demand. Companies can overcome this short-term vision by thinking about building sustainable, efficient, and effective models in the long term. The human resource team and those in the management can help develop our ways forward by asking themselves questions such as how to positively impact and correctly manage their relationship with their workers and their training.

“To build and achieve this future of work, we must roll up our sleeves and take action, and above all, we must overcome the short-term vision that we currently have.”

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