The third Tuesday of September is the State Opening of Parliament (Prinsjesdag) in the Netherlands. This is traditionally the day when the King reads out the government’s plans for the coming year. Obviously, the economy is an important focus. A long period of growth lasting several years would now seem to be coming to an end. Not only in the Netherlands but also throughout the eurozone.
The tight labour market was also discussed in the King’s speech. In many countries, for example, there is a severe shortage of people with technical training. That is one of the reasons economic growth is stagnating. Companies want to expand but they are unable to meet demand because they haven’t got enough qualified staff.
Here at ErfGoed, we also have to make an effort to find the right people. But that’s not all. Because when those people leave us without hesitation if they think they can be better off somewhere else, all those efforts may be wasted. So the art is to recruit good colleagues and to retain them!
Here, I am often reminded of how successful companies like Philips treated their employees in the past. People who got jobs there usually stayed on for the rest of their life. The company took care of everything, even housing. Philips was their life. They were happy to defend the company against all-comers. Philips had got into their DNA, so to speak.
The main thing I remember is the family feeling that emanated from everybody at Philips. That’s what we need now as well. It is precisely in these times, when the individual is becoming so prominent, that people need to be appreciated. That means a company culture where the employer and employees are interested in each other, are committed to each other and empathise with each other. In good times and bad. So that people are proud of ‘their’ company and passionate about their work.
Every day, I am proud and grateful to be a member of the ErfGoed Family!
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