‘Happiness: the game-changer in business’ (with Ana Luísa Beirão)

«[...] The event included a round-table discussion entitled ‘The Future of Work’, featuring Ana Luísa Beirão, Partner at SRS [Legal]; Filipa Jardim da Silva, Happy Boss 2023, CEO and clinical director of Academia Transformar; and Rita Baptista, chief human resources officer at CIMPOR Portugal & Cabo Verde. The discussion was moderated by Nilza Rodrigues, editorial director at Forbes Portugal, who opened the debate by quoting Steve Jobs: ‘We are happy at work if we enjoy what we do.’ At a time when mental health is beginning to take centre stage in people management within organisations, burnout was one of the key topics at the heart of the discussion. The three executives agreed that many leaders remain ill-prepared to deal with the emotional and psychological strain on their teams.»

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Ana Luísa Beirão, Partner at the law firm SRS, discussed the evolution of the legal framework governing employment in light of new demands in the labour market. Ana Luísa Beirão emphasised: “Labour law is seeking to keep pace with the various trends in the world of work.” Amongst several examples, she highlighted the European Pay Transparency Directive, noting that Portugal “will fail to transpose it into national law”. Ana Luísa Beirão drew attention to Portugal’s lag in the area of mental health: “In Portugal, we are lagging far behind when it comes to mental health.” Another issue raised was the right to disconnect, allowing employees to separate their working time from their leisure time. However, although this is provided for in Portuguese law, the SRS partner said that implementation is insufficient: “It is enshrined in Portuguese law, but it is not enforced in Portugal for various reasons, including a lack of inspection by the Authority for Working Conditions, something that does not happen in Spain.”

At the end of the round-table discussion, the panellists took up the challenge of identifying the most important aspect of their work. Rita Baptista said: “Doing what I enjoy is the most important thing.” Filipa Jardim da Silva said: “Connection and making a contribution are what I enjoy most.” And Ana Luísa Beirão added: “The people I work with are what I value most.”»