Salaries and pensions

Over the past year, BBVA Compass has been recognized for by the Small Business Administration, in local markets, regionally and nationally, for its small business lending efforts. Most recently, though, it’s the bank’s proactive advice for small business owners that helped it snag another award.

Over the past three years, the asset allocation team of BBVA Asset Management has overhauled its investment process to bring as much objectivity as possible to decision-making when building a portfolio. Based on the principles of behavioral economics, the new process aims to determine how the power of the mind affects financial decisions.

When a storm of controversy erupted in Spain about the alleged mistreatment of interns in Michelin-starred restaurants, there were some surprised faces in the world of haute cuisine. It is true that in this sector, which has been so fashionable for a number of years, there are still those who are in favor of a training system of the "no pain, no gain" type; but these implacable instructors coexist side by side with maestros who, like the Roca brothers, have for a number of years been committed to a humanist revolution in the kitchens.

• Changes: The new executive director compensation policy for the next three years envisages 1) an increase in the amounts to be deferred and the deferral period for the variable compensation. 60% of the variable compensation will be subject to a 5-year deferral period; 2) share-based remuneration increase: 60% of the deferred amount to be paid in BBVA shares, the remaining 40% in cash; and 3) variable compensation to be subject to reduction and clawback clauses
• Group Executive Chairman: Total remuneration of BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman for 2016 was €4.9 million, down 12% from 2015. The Chairman’s variable compensation dropped 18% with respect to 2015, mainly as a result of the impact on BBVA Group’s profit of the provision related to ‘floor clauses’ in Spain and exchange rate trends. The deferred variable remuneration is subject to the retribution policy in force in 2016, with multi-annual indicators based on which said remuneration can be reduced or even taken to zero, never increased, as well as malus clauses that could limit or even prevent its collection
• Chief Executive Officer: CEO Carlos Torres Vila’s remuneration was €4.4 million, and his variable remuneration is also subject to the same deferral period and conditions as that of the Chairman

The Board of Directors has approved a new Executive Director compensation policy for 2017, 2018 and 2019 to adapt to the new regulation related to compensation (Bank of Spain Circular 2/2016 and the European Banking Authority’s guidelines on sound adequate remuneration policies.) This new policy will be submitted for approval in the upcoming Annual General Meeting, on March 17.

Spaniards worked a total of 126.6 million hours of paid overtime in 2105, up 12.8% from 2014. It is the highest figures since 2011 with 130 million hours, according to a Randstand report.

Rising life expectancy, longevity, is a relatively recent phenomenon dating from the 19th century. Until then, for nearly 60,000 years, the life expectancy of humanity remained relatively constant. There is some evidence that increased life expectancy is a permanent phenomenon, with the implications that this might have not only for pension systems, but also for the organization of societies themselves.

Balancing work and family life must be addressed holistically as a challenge that seeks to accomplish a complicated social goal.