Uses of Time

On September 15, a session was held to evaluate and exchange lessons learned and progress made during the 2nd edition of the Time Management Mentoring Program. Mentoring and mentored companies participated to share experiences and progress throughout the program.

In this 2nd edition of the mentoring program in time organization that started in October, 6 mentoring companies have participated (Aigües de Barcelona, Softmachine, TBS, Union de Mutuas, MCSS num.267, Joia Foundation and Plató Hospital) and 6 mentored companies (Germina Foundation, Colegio Oficial de Psicología de Cataluña, Casal de los Infantes para la Acción Social a los Barrios, Abacus, Agencia para la Calidad del Sistema Universitario de Cataluña and Accent Social). While the mentoring companies are expert organizations from the NUST Network (New Social Uses of Time), the call for mentored companies is open to organizations from the city of Barcelona.

The results of the mentoring were presented in this last joint virtual meeting on September 15, 2020, with a very positive assessment by both the mentoring and mentored companies and detecting outstanding aspects for improvement.

The meeting was welcomed by Sonia Ruiz, Director of Gender Services and Time Policies of the Barcelona City Council, who thanked the companies for their participation and dedication to the program, especially in the case of the mentors and highlighted the effort made during the months of confinement, where the mentoring sessions became virtual but were carried out successfully; and Emilia Pallàs, Executive Director of Proximity Socioeconomic Development of Barcelona Activa, who recalled that Barcelona Activa promoted the mentoring program to highlight the role of companies in improving the use of time, conciliation and co-responsibility. She also emphasized the importance of changes in work methods in favor of gender equality.

Next, Guadalupe Martín, Head of Personnel Administration and Labor Relations at the Oxfam Intermón Foundation, a company mentored during the 1st edition of the program, presented her experience as a mentor and her reality one year after the end of the program.

He assured that one year later the fruits of the mentoring program are still showing better. In the case of the foundation, the sessions with the mentoring companies served to review the current Equality Plan and expand the measures that would allow an improvement in conciliation and co-responsibility. They have implemented some of the measures proposed as a result of the program, as well as others that had not been contemplated and that have been implemented to adapt to the reality of the workers as a result of the pandemic and the situation of confinement. Finally, he thanked the work done by the mentor companies and recommended their participation in the program.

Afterwards, Elisa Stinus and Julia Altés, from the Technical Secretariat of the NUST Network, made a presentation of the results of this 2nd edition of the program:

• Pel que fa als aprenentatges i valoracions realitzades per les mentorades al llarg del programa, les empreses valoren molt la transparència i la implicació de les empreses mentoras com a elements claus del programa. S’ha creat un clima de molta confiança entre mentorades i mentoras i això ha permès poder plantejar-se qüestions que en un altre context no s’haguessin plantejat. Han agraït molt l’adaptació de les empreses mentoras a la nova situació generada per crisi sanitària, facilitant la continuació del programa amb sessions virtuals enlloc de presencials.
• Per la seva banda, les empreses mentoras han estat totes d’acord amb que el programa també és per elles un espai d’aprenentatge i coneixement compartit. El programa de mentoria els permet dedicar temps a pensar, compartir i planificar plans i millores que d’altra manera no tenen cabuda en les tasques i dinàmiques diàries.

The session also included a space for exchange among all the participants in the program, where the different companies shared their experiences as mentors and mentees. They emphasize the atmosphere of trust in which they work and the links created between the companies; the mutual learning, the multidisciplinary exchange and the possibility of getting to know other realities that allow them to continue advancing in the best use of time outside the world of work.

Finalment, Carme Carrera, Tècnica de Programes de Temps va tancar la sessió recordant que l’èxit d’aquesta 2a edició serveix també de motor per seguir treballant en la mateixa línia de cara a la propera edició.

More details on the evaluation of the 2nd edition of the program can be found in the linked documents.