Setting out a fruit basket, putting up posters on sustainable employability or organising a 'stop smoking' course. These are actions companies initially take when they start working on sustainable employability. According to Ewout Brehm, board member at Bureau for Physical Work (BvFA), these actions do not have much effect if there is no solid plan behind them. "I often see companies deploy all kinds of actions around the topic of sustainable employability and physical work, but that these are mostly 'blanks'."
According to Ewout, many of these actions lack coherence, causing employees to hardly pick up on the actions. He argues that if employers do not think carefully about what they want to achieve with sustainable employability and how they want to go about it, there is then a good chance that these actions will not have the desired effect. It is good to map out in advance how you want the message to land with employees and have a clear idea of who has what responsibility in this regard. Ewout: "I often hear from companies that their employees hardly pick up on the actions put in place. Companies' actions are often well intentioned and budgeted, but in the long run they have little effect this way."
Vision
Companies that really want to achieve something with sustainable employability should therefore think carefully about what exactly they want to do with it. To get this clear, Ewout says a first step is for management to create a vision around this theme. "A vision is the first of six success factors we use at BvFA. Companies will then have to translate this vision to employees in a simple and accessible way, because if they do not understand the underlying reason for certain actions, they will not adopt actions either. I therefore always recommend involving employees in the design, establishment and implementation of the overall plan. A plan can be drawn up for, say, three years."
Incentives
The next step is to hand out incentives in an approachable, fun and light-hearted way, such as through themed sessions or coaching. Ewout points out that at the beginning it is better to avoid negatively charged topics, such as absenteeism or quitting smoking. "Find out carefully what needs employees have and what is going on in the workplace. The management has a certain vision and goal, but the employees also have needs and desires, such as a healthier lifestyle, attending training or avoiding physical overload. By focusing on the employee's needs, responsibility is also more likely to be borne."
Workshop
Physical work is a big part of warehouse work and this deserves special attention when it comes to the sustainable employability of your employees. Working safely, healthily and with motivation is not a given, but you can create this culture. BvFA's six success factors will help you set it up. During his interactive workshop "How can I stay healthy and safe at work?" at the Dag van het veilige magazijn on 6 February in Zoetermeer, Ewout Brehm will give you tools to increase sustainable employability in the warehouse.
Want to know more or register for the Safe Warehouse Day on 6 February? Visit https://www.dagvanhetveiligemagazijn.nl/
