Spain is establishing itself as a preferred destination for digital nomads, international professionals who work entirely remotely and seek locations that offer a business environment, a wide range of leisure activities, and a pleasant climate. The arrival of these remote workers contrasts sharply with the reality of the Spanish labor market, where teleworking has been declining since the peak experienced during the pandemic that began in 2020.According to Eurostat data for 2021, only 15.5% of professionals "sometimes" work from home in Spain, while 9.6% do so half the day, percentages three times lower than those recorded in the Netherlands or Ireland.
“The decline in teleworking in Spain in recent months is alarming, especially considering that it is a preferred option for more than 60% of workers, and that 35% say they could work remotely in their current job. Data from the Active Population Survey indicates that only 6.6% of employees worked from home more than half the days in the third quarter of 2022, while 5.4% did so occasionally,” explains Daniel Asensio, country manager of Wildix in Spain. “One of the main causes of this decline is the lack of process digitization plans that would allow companies to commit to and rely on remote work policies. An accessible and affordable technological solution tailored to the reality of each organization is essential. We are not only experiencing a period of digital transformation, but also a generational shift in which teleworking is a key factor in talent retention.
The uneven adoption of teleworking across provinces and cities.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, 15.5% of companies lack sufficient technological resources to implement teleworking, while 35.8% do not consider implementing them, even though they could enhance teleworking. This figure varies across regions, being lower in Catalonia and the Basque Country, but higher in inland communities, including Madrid. Notably, over 20% of companies in the capital lack the necessary technology for teleworking, while 48% have ruled it out.
“It seems contradictory when, in general terms, Spain has a very extensive and high-quality broadband infrastructure that guarantees high availability for remote users. Now is the time for business expertise and technology to work together to develop sound digitalization plans. Adapting business processes through available technology is essential for companies to be competitive and to realize the significant benefits of remote work,” says Daniel Asensio from Wildix. “The technology is available, but we must customize it for each company's specific needs. We shouldn't look for standard, miracle solutions, because they don't exist. Companies should opt for solutions built on their business model that allow them to participate in the implementation.”
Unified Communications solutions, allies of remote work.
Ensuring agile and instantaneous communications that maintain cohesion, connection, and collaboration among employees and teams is one of the main concerns of organizations. A suitable UC&C solution not only ensures employee availability but also facilitates the secure and accurate management and execution of business processes through automation. This is also part of the benefits of a digitization plan that includes UC&C as an added value. And it is a fundamental component for a teleworking plan to be effective and sustainable over time.
Employee relocation allows companies to build the talent retention, generational succession, and productivity gains that all businesses strive for. The most advanced customer and customer relations (C&C) tools go beyond communication via chats, calls, or video calls. They enable the creation of a continuous relationship environment with customers and suppliers, as well as integration with applications that provide an essential flow of information for business operations. There will be an ever-increasing number of tools and applications in the customer information landscape. Therefore, the web browser is becoming the single window for different user interfaces, eliminating intermediary platforms and becoming a fundamental part of remote work tools.
“Unified communications have the potential to reverse the decline in remote work in Spain and, at the same time, help companies progress and expand their business,” explains Daniel Asensio. “At Wildix, we understand that our solutions must be able to work on the ‘invisible’ but critical aspects of automation and integration. The workplace is constantly evolving, and our UC&C solution allows for rapid adaptation to new customer challenges.”.
While solutions based on physical or clustered infrastructure slow down the development of digitalization plans due to their high investment and management costs, Wildix is committed to a UC&C platform on which to develop software-defined solutions that are interoperable with other platforms and offer greater flexibility. In this context, “software talks to software,” says Daniel Asensio. “We aim to boost our clients’ businesses by facilitating their adaptability through a single, secure, flexible, and reasonably priced communication platform.”
Unified communications are emerging as the leading solution for adopting remote or hybrid work models in Spain. Their effectiveness has been proven, as indicated by data from the Cavell Group, which concludes that 72% of executives cite improved flexibility as the reason for adopting collaboration solutions. Only those companies that embrace change will be able to guarantee the future continuity of their business in a market that demands total and constant connectivity.
Article provided by Wildix
