Sara Agüera (Gaser Aranda): “We dedicate 100% of our resources to our clients”

Sara Agüera Sanz ___is responsible for the labor department byGaser Aranda.D___degree in Labor Relations from the University of Valladolid and a collegiate social graduate, Sara has a master's degree in Occupational Risk Prevention. Gaser Aranda was born in 1982, being the first business consultancy in La Ribera, and currently offers fiscal, tax, commercial and labor consultancy services in Aranda de Duero, both at the local and state level. 

During this health and economic crisis cuál has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your office? Have you felt the viability of the sector is compromised?

The biggest challenge without a doubt has been the processing of ERTES based on a cause of force majeure and the so-called ETOP, the temporary suspension of the contract or reduction of working hours for economic, technical, organizational or production reasons. Previously we had not found ourselves in the situation of processing ERTES, although on this occasion, the unusual, urgent and sensitive nature of the moment motivated us to use one hundred percent of our resources, dedicating ourselves day and night to our clients to facilitate their needs as much as possible.

Our sector has been very important in providing support to companies, SMEs and the self-employed, so that they could survive the economic crisis caused by the health crisis.

And we have also suffered this economic crisis as we are a direct link in this chain.

You have been a fundamental part in the beginning of the pandemic due to the large number of benefits that you have had to manage. How did you digitally face this increase in the volume of work, which was also not in person? Do you consider the implementation of the teleworking?

Days before the proclamation of the state of alarm, our IT department made preparations to be able to work from home.

We have always opted for technologies and we do not spare resources to be able to provide the best customer service at all times, so we were digitally prepared.

Our work was mainly in person because we needed to work as a team. Decisions had to be made and a lot of documentation that was in the consultancy files had to be consulted. This pandemic has forced us to make different work adaptations. We have had to consider other work methods giving value to relocation.Different tasks can be carried out from anywhere in the world thanks to technological advances: increasingly efficient telecommunications networks, increasingly capable mobile devices that allow us to be located at any time and anywhere, the possibility of video conferencing quickly and easily, etc.

Today practically all procedures with the Administration are digital: communications with the Junta de Castilla y León, with the Sepe, with Social Security, with the City Council, etc. Therefore, a hybrid way of working can be optimal, offering the client an agile and quality service.

___What were and are the main economic effects of the pandemic on your clients? How do you think the recovery of the business fabric of your province will be?

This crisis forced many companies to suspend their activity, either because they were included in the sectors included in Royal Decree 463/2020 by which the state of alarm was declared, or to face the expansion of coronavirus. ERTES due to force majeure have allowed our clients affected directly and indirectly by this health crisis to continue to exist, workers were able to stay at home collecting unemployment benefits and the self-employed were able to collect extraordinary benefits, main tools to survive.

In the province of Burgos the incidence has been very high during the pandemic, we have been at alert level 3 for many months, which has caused prolonged periods of limitations regarding hours, capacity, closure of hospitality, nightlife, etc.

Companies and the self-employed have been significantly affected by these persistent restrictions, which have affected the hospitality sector to a greater extent and have caused serious economic problems in many companies and self-employed workers who, even though they wanted to work, have not been able to do so. I believe that the sector that will recover the fastest from the coronavirus crisis will be the hospitality industry and the companies related to it directly and indirectly. Society feels committed to the responsibility of ensuring that our business fabric recovers and creates jobs and generates wealth.

Burgos is a province with a large business network, where several of the most important factories at a national and international level are located, and this will help the recovery to be faster.

Has the aid that has been granted both at the national and local level to the different sectors arrived on time? Do you think they are sufficient?

In Castilla y León they have not been very quick in granting this aid, I imagine that the officials have also been overwhelmed with the amount of procedures they have had to manage and this has slowed down the study of the files presented. The aid that has been offered by the Junta de Castilla y León does make a distinction by sector in order to alleviate the situation experienced, fundamentally those affected to a greater extent, such as the hospitality industry and all activities directly and indirectly related to it, the tourism sector, commerce, gyms, hairdressers...

Aid is essential to be able to continue working, they are injections into the economy of companies to compensate for losses during the months of closure and later.

Enough?The aid has been distributed in a general way and perhaps it has not been the most fair, since it should have been distributed in a more individualized way, studying the needs and situation of each SME or self-employed person to optimize them based on the sector, location, expenses, workers, etc.

___The Business Creation and Growth Law contemplates the simplification of the procedures to establish a company. How do you think it will affect the business productive fabric? local?

One of the big problems we have encountered when working with the Administration is the bureaucratic burden to carry out any management.

It is necessary to simplify the procedures so that citizens are encouraged to create companies, to create jobs.  We need collaboration and agility on the part of the Administration to facilitate the procedures that our clients need.

Professionals need specific channels to provide quality service.

Among the functions of the Mutual Collaborators with Social Security highlights the important role of occupational risk prevention and as well as care for the occupational health of workers. The pandemic has put value on the prevention of occupational risks, do you think companies perceive it that way too? How do you value the work of training and dissemination of prevention in the different sectors of activity in which your companies operate?

Companies are aware of prevention of occupational risks and with this pandemic they have witnessed firsthand that the health of their workers is a basic pillar so that they can carry out their tasks effectively and efficiently.

Fraternidad-Muprespa has been and is very attentive to monitoring the health of mutual workers in all aspects, also in the fight and control of the coronavirus to promote the speedy recovery of the economy.

Likey we are infinitely grateful for the support you have given us have provided since pandemic when managing the benefits of the self-employed, training and information regarding doubts raised by our clients and thanking them for their digital means to facilitate our work in the face of professional and common contingencies.