Did you know that there is a prestigious ranking of the best companies to work? A classification of those companies that stand out for their enjoyable, agreeable and inclusive work environment, where the employees are the engine.

Work environment significantly influences the productivity of the employees and, as a consequence, the profitability of companies. Therefore, betting on the human value as a way to guarantee the well-being of the employee increasingly becomes important in the strategic lines of the companies. Being covered under the umbrella of the concept Best Place to Work, it tries to implement corporate policies that include an important offer of measures and programs intended to improve the conditions and the personal development of the employee to generate a feeling of pride and belonging.

The goal of these initiatives is for employees to feel that their company is a good place to work, i.e. achieving professional engagement, which means the capability of emotionally linking work with a positive state characterized by energy, motivation and efficiency in the work place (and out of it). According to Marian Alonso, CEO of Global Mas Consulting, the emotional connection is one of the keys to aligning the goals of a company with the aspirations of the employee: “If a company does not connect with emotions, not only will their employees not be proud of belonging to it, but there will be people who simply work and wait for the hour that they can leave”.

Today, these measures are needed more than ever if we take into account that in 5 years, the generations Millenials and Z (people between 19 and 39 years old) will represent 75% of the labor force, according to a study elaborated by Pew Research. A generation that forgot everything about the priorities of their parents, and concepts such as mobility, flexibility, professional development and sustainability are part of their everyday vocabulary. In short, a different generation destined to revolutionize the corporate culture.

Goal of Santander: Be one of the best companies to work

A Good example of how the companies work to boost the above mentioned emotional link is Banco Santander and its initiatives “Semana Somos Santander” (We are Santander Week), created to promote the feelings of belonging and pride among the employee, through an important number of activities to involve both employees and their families; or “Semana Be Healthy”, during which healthy habits at the levels of both sport and food are promoted among employees to help make them feel better with themselves.

The company counts on an important corporate policy of Flexiworking that covers a series of measures for employees to have the possibility of adapting their work day to their personal needs

The entity presided over by Ana Botín is one of the companies that is transforming its environment to fulfill one of the goals defined in the 10 responsible banking goals for 2025: be one of the 10 best companies to work in at least six of the geographies where it operates in 2021. According to Ana Botín, President of the Group, “Talent, compromise and motivation of our more than 200,000 employees is the basis of our success”.

On the basis of this goal, the company has started a series of measures that are a turning point in its corporative culture. “To achieve being among the 10 best companies to work it is fundamental to count on a diverse team so we are carrying out initiatives aimed at increasing the percentage of women in management positions, diminishing the wage gap and improving the conciliation of our employees”, explains Roberto di Benardini, Global HR Director of Grupo Santander.

These measures are intended to promote the transition towards more innovative and flexible ways of working and to improve the balance between the personal and professional areas, thanks to new spaces in the offices and the development of tools to favour the organization of employees.

To do so, the company counts on an important corporate policy of Flexiworking that covers a series of measures for employees to have the possibility of adapting their work day to their personal needs and professional situation, including the organization of the working day on timetable, place of working, vacation… aimed at improving the quality of life.

A policy strengthened by the commitment that Banco Santander has acquired to redesign its offices to count on new spaces of working which promote collaboration and team working, through tools that facilitate a continuing contact with teams of remote working. Also, the Group promotes rational management of the working time and its flexible application, as well as the use of technologies that allows a better organization of the work of employees and includes the right to digital disconnection.

Banco Santander, among the 25 best companies in the world

This important support of the company has recently been awarded as the magazine Fortune has placed Banco Santander among the 25 best companies to work in the world. The entity presided over by Ana Botín appears for the first time in this global ranking elaborated on the basis of a survey carried out among the employees of different companies in 58 countries.

The professionals of the Group who took part in the survey have highlighted that the company treats its workers fairly independently of their race, gender or sexual orientation. In fact, the Survey of Compromise annually elaborated by the bank highlights that the compromise of its employees has raised 9 percentage points over the past 5 years, when the bank started its cultural transformation.

According to Ana Botín, President of the Group, “This milestone implies a big step forward and a solid basis over which we will build a more responsible bank excellent in the basic needs, but also dealing with the current challenges. I am very proud of our teams and I wish to see what we will be capable of doing together to aid more people and companies to prosper”.