The lack of talent is a reality in our country, a reality that also tends to become chronic. 75% of companies directly experience the problem of talent shortage and, even more worrying, almost all companies perceive that the lack of professionals is already having an impact on their productivity and results, according to the HR Trends 2024 Report prepared by Randstad and CEOE. This situation does not only affect technology companies. This lack of candidates in STEM areas is recorded in almost all sectors and, if it is a problem for a large company, it is a greater challenge for SMEs.
Talent is a strategic priority in all companies and one way to retain it is through training, as concluded by the speakers who participated in a round table at Diálogos La Vanguardia, held in collaboration with BBVA. Albert Sant, Unit Partner Talent participated in the debate
People are the cornerstone of companies, as all the speakers agreed. It doesn’t matter the size or the sector in which they operate. “A very powerful and differential competitive advantage for an organization is having a competitive team with shared values, knowing their needs and responding to them,” stated Sant. And in an environment that is constantly changing, taking care of the equipment is essential. In this sense, Llorens, who together with his brother was involved in the generational change in the family business two years ago, said that a transformation process, such as digitalization, “should not be imposed, but rather channeled through the people”.
Jordi Driving School, with 50 years of history and centers in Reus, Tarragona and Montblanc, has gone from seven to 24 employees in two years. Technology, he stated, has helped scale processes and grow business level. “We launched the Driving, People and Technology project, where technology and people went hand in hand to improve,” argued Llorens, who before taking the reins of the family business had worked in large companies and startups both in Spain and in abroad.
The priority of every organization is talent, stated Vilanova, but not before highlighting that in all developed countries there is a deficit, with more vacancies than available professionals. In this sense, he explained that team rotation, with the loss of talent that this entails, “has an impact on the operations and competitiveness of companies”, so it is essential to attract and retain talent with a value proposition. very flexible that makes the company attractive. The Randstad representative stated that salary continues to be a decisive element, but warned that, especially among the younger generations, other aspects, such as flexibility, work-life balance and professional development within the organization.
Sánchez endorsed Vilanova’s words and assured that AsorCAD gives employees a lot of room for maneuver, for example, to telework, although they try to get them to go to the workplace because, he said, “the culture of sharing the daily environment helps consolidate the equipment”. A company that makes a boat for the America’s Cup as well as a car for Seat, the first thing it promises to a candidate “is that they will not be bored” at work because the company constantly implements new technology, new systems and enters into new sectors. “Then what we value most is the sum of passion and perseverance, what the American Angela Duckwor called Grit, because that combination allows us to face all the challenges that arise daily,” she continued. And now, from here, if you are interested, we start talking about salary. Llorens expressed himself in a similar way. “You have to design a comprehensive and holistic strategy, not just focused on salary, that touches all the intrinsic motivations of the person,” he stated.
“And we pay dearly when someone does not adapt because, regardless of the training they come from, we have to give them their own training in our systems and equipment,” emphasized the executive director of AsorCAD, in line with what was also expressed by Llorens. The head of Jordi Escola de Conducció maintained that learning curves and rotations have a very high cost in SMEs and, on this point, in addition to advocating to value the culture of effort among young people, he called for better taxation hiring in small and medium-sized companies.
In Sant’s opinion, for a company to be attractive to talent it must position itself in the market as a good place to work. “Being an attractive company means having professionals aligned with its purpose and values, something that forms a shared corporate culture,” he stated, but not before ensuring that “young people who enter the labor market seek to generate a positive impact on society and in the lives of people with the projects in which they commit themselves.” In the case of BBVA, this purpose is also linked to the commitment to a work environment “based on empowering people and trust”, which allows the implementation of more decentralized and flexible forms of work. In addition, the entity gives opportunities to people so that they can do things with impact and train. “We think that each person should decide about their professional career and make their own decisions to learn and grow professionally,” she highlighted.
This BBVA value proposition, which seeks the well-being of employees, focuses on the manager, a key figure. “We ask the 18,000 managers to live these values, to encourage the professional growth of their team and to ensure the fulfillment of objectives and results,” he said. The entity has developed a support program for them, The Good Manager, which focuses on the evolution of their leadership capabilities and aligning them in the current competitive environment in which, as Vilanova indicated, “change is the only fixed element.” . “For us, change management is the management of uncertainty and in this, human talent is absolutely essential,” considered Sant.
Banking, the BBVA executive recalled, has gone from being one of the most traditional sectors to leading the digital revolution with the incorporation of new technologies. But, he warned, digital transformation is done “by and for people.” “Technology is an essential ally to better serve our customers and ensure they have a unique experience. And for this it is vitally important to take great care of the teams and have good personalized training plans that allow them to offer the best service,” he stated.
And, as Vilanova said, “in a changing and disruptive environment like the current one, continuous training of employees is essential.” “It is a strategic priority and it is here to stay,” she highlighted, adding that it is a key element to “build talent loyalty.” The Randstad representative put data on the table that supports the importance of training. It is expected, she said, that two out of every three jobs that will be created in the Spanish market between 2024 and 2035 will require a high level of education compared to 4% for a low level. The EU is also very aligned with this priority and will allocate 64.8 billion euros to training. “It is key to the productivity and competitiveness of employees,” said Vilanova, who stated that this training must not only include knowledge, but also skills, such as resilience, adaptability, customer orientation or empathy when leading teams.
“We are a school first for ourselves and then for our students,” Llorens stressed. For his part, Sánchez commented that when AsorCAD looks for someone who has training, it is not so much because of the knowledge they have received, but because it shows that they have “learning capacity.” “When you arrive at the company, we will put in front of you a lot of technology that you have never seen before and we have to train you in everything,” he stressed, adding that it is very important that new hires know that the journey is long and that they will encounter constantly new challenges. “Here the change is permanent,” he said.
BBVA, declared Sant, places a lot of emphasis on transversal and continuous training. To this end, he has defined 14 areas of strategic knowledge, ranging from sustainability to leadership to cybersecurity, among others, and proposes a series of training itineraries available at The Camp. This platform is available to all employees and each one can choose what professional career they want to follow within the entity. The itineraries guarantee that they assume the necessary skills in the chosen field and allow them to become certified in these skills. In the same way that technology allows the entity to be available to its clients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it also allows employees to connect to The Camp whenever they want. “It is about the employee deciding what he wants to do, how he wants to do it and when he wants to do it,” he summarized.
Vilanova outlined the future scenario for talent. He explained that the main trends that will entail structural transformations in the labor market are linked to technology, environment and demographic changes. At this point, he assured that, due to the aging of the population, positions in the health sector are increasing, both at the healthcare and healthcare levels. And more that will grow in the field of leisure for the elderly.
