Inetum-Realdolmen: "We encourage our people to talk about their career"

How do you make sure that people enjoy working for you? That they are employable today and tomorrow in a world that is rapidly changing? That diversity and authenticity are truly experienced? That different generations have tailored opportunities? That people can take a break and flexibly adjust their work to their lives?  

Ann De Ryck, HR Director, and Helen Van Dessel, Head of Learning & Development at Inetum-Realdolmen, know how to achieve all of this: "We don't achieve sustainable employment by devising plans and training from our ivory tower.  Quite the contrary, we listen. We respond to initiatives and the needs of our people and facilitate a very open dialogue." 

Open dialogue  

Careers are not fixed at Inetum-Realdolmen. "People are constantly moving forward through developed paths for school leavers, architects, managers, sales..., combined with addressing individual needs and ideas. The commitment goes in two directions. Both the organisation and the employees assume their responsibilities. We encourage an open dialogue among other things. People need to engage in it so as to indicate that they want something different or want to take on additional responsibilities for instance." 

Flexibility according to needs  

Maximum flexibility translates into hybrid working without mandatory minimum or maximum days at the office. "Young parents can pick up their children from school and work in the evenings. Co-parents can move work to the week when they don't have children. A 65-year old who wants to continue working can take it easy. Everyone remains in control of their own workweek through time registration. Digital tools keep the threshold for learning and development as low as possible." 

Returning after a world trip  

"We focus on nurturing and binding people in a positive way. But there may be times when that is not enough. You then have to be willing to let go, for example if someone wants to do another project elsewhere or go on a world trip for six months. Even then, we maintain the connection. We make it clear that a return is always possible." 

How this policy will develop in the future remains a question mark for De Ryck and Van Dessel as well. "We listen and respond constantly to the needs of our people. Hybrid working, informal learning, a focus on authenticity, and much more have emerged as a result. We look forward to seeing what else will come out of it all." 

 

This case is a practical example from 'Technology for a better world', Agoria's sustainability strategy for the technology industry. That strategy contains a roadmap with concrete commitments linked to measurable performance indicators that companies can work on, divided into 12 action domains. Inetum-Realdolmen's case illustrates the action domain 'Sustainable employment'.

•  Read more about the action domain 'Sustainable employment'.
•  Read all about the technology industry's sustainability strategy here!