Can we build an open and informal work culture? This interview is part of a een serie van interviews following from research of Anoushka Bold -, with Leaders in Business, HR, Occupational Health, and Well-being. We explore critical aspects of Well-being leadership, with insights into current trends and best practices. This time, with the help of Tjahny Bercx (LeasePlan) (CHRO of the year 2021) we are diving into how to lead a business change whilst proactively addressing employee well-being, and how leaders and fun play a role.
Je hebt een indrukwekkend cv en een sterke reputatie in het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven als CHRO van het jaar 2021. Kun je ons kort iets vertellen over LeasePlan en jouw leiderschapsrol hierin?
In a nutshell, LeasePlan is a financial institution, active in 30 countries with over 8.000 employees We have a bank license for deposit holding, but our core business is car leasing. Currently, I am both the Chief People & Performance Officer and Country Cluster Director. For the People and Performance role, I am responsible for human-related topics and policies worldwide, and from a cluster director perspective, I have P&L responsibility for Brazil, Mexico, the US, Austria and Switzerland. Health & well-being are a key part of this, but given my position here at Headquarters, we define the Global Strategy and policies and the countries themselves have a lot of autonomy in executing these.
Je bent wereldwijd verantwoordelijk voor HR, hoe zien jullie het mentale welbevinden van de werknemers hierbinnen?
It is for sure on the agenda, but not as singled out as you mention it, it is not a separate agenda item. In my opinion, employee mental health doesn’t stand alone. Being aware of employees’ mental health should be in all layers and disciplines of the organisation. We approach mental health from a holistic point of view. We try to create an atmosphere where people feel included, feel safe, can flourish, and feel healthy both physically and mentally. We put a lot of effort into programs and support to ensure employee vitality. We have an affiliated structure, but we try to create an open and informal work culture where we aim for employees to really like their jobs, and
to want to be with us. D&I plays a huge role in this. We pay a lot of attention to the LGBTQI+ community or other communities in our organisation, and I strongly push for females at the top. This is obviously also part of feeling mentally well, that is what I mean with a holistic view. Physical wellness is very prominent at LeasePlan. We do a lot of sports in our organisation worldwide and we share stories of it. We see that this motivates people to join. For example, I will run the New York marathon this year with a couple of board members and directors, and we hope more LeasePlan employees will join us. I truly believe that taking a holistic point of view and focusing on both mental and physical well-being ultimately leads to business results.
“Werken in een digitale organisatie vereist een volledige mentaliteitsverandering”
LeasePlan bevindt zich midden in een grote transformatie naar een 100 procent digitale organisatie. Hoe ondersteunen jullie werknemers in dit proces?
A digital organisation requires a complete change of mentality, and it is my responsibility to define a strategy to take the employees along. We focused on creating buy-in at an early stage, trusting that this prevents people from falling too deep, getting burned, or really feeling unmotivated. First, we departed this impactful journey with the insight that transformation can only take place if employees are emotionally involved and are deeply aware of the need for change. The impact of change, including awareness on how they deal with change themselves as a person, and how peers deal with change is so important because it helps people see how they can support each other to make it work and avoid getting lost on the way. Second, we decided to embark on ‘Leadership journeys”. This is a worldwide programme involving each level of the organisation, from the CEO to the receptionist. The idea is to enable employees to become aware of their own personality. We used the Enneagram Method for this, which distinguishes nine personality types. Employees identified their own and reflected on this. They became aware of how they behave in certain circumstances. And the third step was the employees sharing their ‘lifelines’ with each other, for a better mutual understanding on how they could help each other to make this transformation work.
Transformeren naar een digitale organisatie betekent dat je nieuwe competenties en vaardigheden nodig hebt. Leidt dat tot veel onrust in de organisatie?
That is an interesting question, because of course we need a different set of competencies and skills, but that doesn’t mean that we have to say farewell to people. Both the CEO and I are examples of people who adapted successfully to new business models and new technologies. We are from the generation that worked with PCs with a floppy disk, a turntable phone, and in a very hierarchical leadership model. We have both gone through a lot of change but are still standing strong and are successful. So, we believe we have a responsibility to help our employees succeed in the transformation, to help them feel relevant for the future organisation, especially my generation. We owe this to them; they helped make this company successful. We support our people to understand what it means to go from an analogue to a digital organisation and help them adapt to this new world and even better, to like it! We created videos, that explain what exactly will change.
“Natuurlijk hebben we andere competenties en vaardigheden nodig”
Wat hebben jullie nog meer gedaan om employee wellbeing te ondersteunen, naast het elkaar beter leren begrijpen en goede en toegankelijke informatie aan te bieden over de veranderingen?
We realise and acknowledge that this is an intense process and that everyone copes differently. So, we set up extra support by organising training sessions on resilience, on mindset and more. In addition, we recently launched the option to connect with a psychologist through an online platform. Employees are offered three sessions, in which they can reflect and create a strategy to help them move forward or even connect with a company doctor. We hope that with these programs and interventions, we can help prevent stress or at least help people to cope better with it.
LeasePlan scoort consistent hoog op het wereldwijde engagement survey, 87, terwijl het gemiddelde 74 is. Wat is jullie sleutel tot succes?
Well, it is a combination of things of course but I think that the fact that we focus a lot on feeling good, being happy, in our organisation plays a vital role. We are very open to endorsing and enabling resources to initiatives for employee health. Both HR and Corporate Affairs are on top of this. As mentioned earlier, we are really into video posts, we make them all the time, about the crucial role of performing sports to stay healthy, about the LGBTQI+ community or about the environment; we address issues that people care about. And we can shift gears, make decisions fast and execute fast. An example is Men’s Health Week, last May, where there is amongst others, a focus on health issues related to the prevention of prostate cancer etc. I was recorded while boxing and emphasizing the importance of preventative tests. Ik ben er heilig van overtuigd dat actief betrokken zijn bij wat er speelt in alle gelederen van de organisatie en de interne communities, een rol speelt bij hoe goed mensen zich gewaardeerd voelen. Ik denk dat al deze dingen daarbij helpen.”
Mensen zijn zich er vaak niet bewust van dat ze meer tijd aan werk besteden dan aan hun privéleven.
Dat zijn mooie initiatieven. Zijn er ander specifieke activiteiten die je zou willen belichten?
Another example of our creativity and versatility was in the early days of COVID-19 when we launched an Instagram platform in just one month that was focused on body, soul, mind and transformation. Almost immediately we offered courses on how to be mindful, yoga and dancing. I offered that one, together with my wife. We gave merengue lessons. So, I was dancing with my wife and people at home followed us. There were all kinds of challenges on the website that people could do, and they could record themselves and share, you could win a prize, and there were book clubs. All these kinds of things make people aware that you can do things together, digitally and that was also very helpful because we knew that would have a big impact on the mental state of our people.
Ik merk dat er veel betrokkenheid is van leidinggevenden. Heb je zelf ook ervaringen gedeeld op het gebied van mentaal welbevinden?
Yeah definitely! Every household has their own struggles and I think it is important to share these things with each other to understand that they are not alone in this. I’ve been in so many leadership journeys where people open up, and where I’m telling my own story as well. Members of my family have experienced PTSD from war, and mental and physical challenges, and we support them as a family. I have no shame in telling this to my peers or colleagues. I learned that when you open yourself to other people, they tend to share their story leading to a good dialogue and mutual understanding. People don’t realise that they spend more time at work than they do at home. In our search for our new organisational open and informal work culture – that comes with the transformation- one thing is for sure, we will build further on our open, informal culture where employees call me Tjahny and can always reach out to me.
You mention that you share a lot yourself. What about your peers and other leaders at LeasePlan? What is their role in creating this open and informal work culture?
Yes indeed, our leaders are actively engaged. We believe it is very important that our leaders are role models, and their behaviour is the key to open communications with our people. And not only that but demonstrating this behaviour both internally and externally reinforces what we stand for! So yes, at LeasePlan we know each other, we hug when we see each other and there is respect because everybody works hard, and we deliver. I am very proud of that!
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Dit is het derde interview van een reeks van 12 interview met top leiders en CHRO's. Andere interviews zijn o.a. met leiders van bedrijven als WeTransfer , Defensie, PWC, Johnson&Johnson, SIG, Amsterdam UMC, Bergman Clinics, Zilveren Kruis, InShared en meer. Wil je deze interview in je inbox ontvangen?
Powered by Inuka Coaching, as we continuously invest in research. Both in public health, together with universities and with institutes, to broaden knowledge on mental well-being and the impact of online life coaching to prevent employee dropout, burn-out and turnover.
