For 2018, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce has been delighted to introduce a brand new events series: the Human Capital Forum. The forum aims to create a space for learning and discussing relevant topics in the areas of organisational development, leadership, change management and talent. Meeting every three months, the event is open to representatives of member companies who are responsible for HR and its related fields and professions. The forum is chaired by Mónica Hernanz, Managing Director at The Client Academy and Adjunct Professor of Organisational Behaviour at IE Business School.
The first meeting of the series took place at the Chamber’s offices on Wednesday 25th April, with the topic being: “positive psychology in the workplace: is it possible (and desirable) to be truly happy at work?” The guest speaker on this occasion was Vanessa King, a positive psychology, happiness and resilience expert. A board member for Action for Happiness and author of the book “10 Keys to Happier Living”, she regularly speaks and carries out workshops both nationally and internationally on the subject of well-being, resilience and workplace creativity.
Vanessa began the seminar by exploring the definition of happiness, explaining that it has two forms: hedonic and eudaimonic and how it compares to the notions of wellbeing and resilience. She went on to explain what determines happiness of work and the ways in which it can benefit employers if their staff are kept happy. She then proposed the discussion of what employers can do to increase the happiness of their employees and what their main advice for doing this would be.
The second edition of the Human Capital Forum took place on the 4th July, this time to discuss the topic of “the human challenge of digitalisation: how are companies’ cultures changing them for a digital future?”. Also chaired by Monica Hernanz, this edition welcomed two guest speakers from IBM’s Talent and Engagement Practice from the London and Madrid teams: Isaac Cantalejo Fuentes and Sunaya Sahans.
The session began with all of the participants introducing themselves and describing the main challenges of digitalisation faced by their companies, of which a variety were suggested owing to the various sectors that were represented. They spoke in particular about the changing face of recruitment owed to digitalisation, with the industry being more online and fast paced than ever before. The speakers then went on to discuss the key digital transformation trends that HR Directors should be mindful of, as well as what can be learnt from companies both leading and struggling in the journey to create a more digital organisational culture. Following the presentation, participants of the forum discussed where they believed the priorities for investment should be for HR Directors in the wake of an increasingly digitalised world. Over a networking breakfast following the forum, participants expressed their views of the session; expressing how they had found it both relevant and thought provoking.
The next edition of the forum is scheduled to meet in November, with the topic being ‘the #MeToo movement in the office: how have sexual harassment and gender politics changed in the workplace in 2018 as a result of societal change?”. Towards the end of the year, members of the forum will also have the opportunity to suggest the topics of future forums in 2019.
The Human Capital Forum’s ultimate aim is to highlight the strategic value of all company’s greatest assets- their workforce. If you are interested in finding out more about this initiative, please contact Hannah.sanders@spanishchamber.co.uk
