Good employment practice

Sufficient technical staff

There is a real need to attract more people. Based on developments and forecasts, Stedin has a Strategic Personnel Plan that looks five years ahead and anticipates future demand (based on our Strategic Investment Plan). This shows that without additional measures, we will have a shortage of 570 FTE fitters in 2026. Therefore, we have significantly ramped up our recruitment capacity, doubled our training capacity (including the opening of our in-house training school in Utrecht), formulated a recruitment plan to attract new groups, such as people entering from other professions and 16-year-old students doing the basic vocational learning pathway (BBL), and set up joint venture agreements with external parties, such as Regional Training Centres. The result is impressive, with 2.5 times as many vacancies filled this year as in 2021. This means that we filled 1,021 vacancies this year. According to the Strategic Personnel Plan, if we continue with these measures,we will reduce the shortage in 2026 to 61 FTE. In addition, in our operations we are working on implementing ‘smarter working’, by making processes efficient and being able to carry out more work with our current workforce.

It helps that we are seen as an attractive employer. The work is socially relevant, the employment benefits are attractive and the atmosphere with enthusiastic employees is highly appreciated. 

Intake, advancement and exit

In the past year, we devoted additional attention to advancement: and important factor in retaining people. This means we offer our colleagues opportunities for continued development, something that is very highly appreciated. Advancement has therefore been a success, possibly too much so. It causes distress sometimes in teams when team members move to another department. In some teams, one in five of the members is new. It places demands on teams to warmly welcome new colleagues and devote the time and attention needed to get someone up to speed. We are still looking at ways to make the advancement process more effective.

Our staff exit rate is around 8% and has been reasonably stable in recent years. In today’s tight labour market, we note that employees are slightly more inclined to leave on their own initiative than they used to be. The relationship between managers and employees is important for employee retention. This is a point of attention in our leadership training. The terms of employment for our technical personnel have been improved in the new Collective Labour Agreement. There is now an additional field allowance and an extra on-call and emergency repairs shift allowance. At all levels, we want to make it clear that we value our technical talent.

Training, learning and development

Stedin operates in a culture that prioritises continuous learning. We offer various activities and resources to give the best possible support to our employees in their personal development. We do this with our management training system and our cooperation with a training intermediary. Both these activities were again put out to tender in 2022. In addition, we made a start on creating one location where all training and development, both technical and non-technical, will be offered and assured. This brings clarity and focus.

In-house training school

Our in-house training school plays a crucial role in ensuring we have the right technical people in the right place. Many of them have been able to attain a stable position in society in recent years thanks to the in-house training school. The school provides a steady intake of new employees and enables other colleagues to advance their careers. For our new intake, we invest specifically in various groups, such as MBO students (for professional practical skills (BBL) courses) and young people (vocational training (BOL) courses), but also in people with limited access to the labour market, workers under the Participation Act and recent immigrants.

We offer training at four different locations: Rotterdam, Utrecht, Alblasserdam and Goes. This ensures that all colleagues can take courses or training in their local regions. In 2022, the courses for colleagues in Zeeland were made the same as for all Stedin employees. Most of the courses for these colleagues take place in Goes. Courses that cannot be offered in Goes are held in Rotterdam.

The in-house training school recorded 48,808 applications in 2022 for technical training, safety training such as BEI and VIAG, e-training and in-house safety training (2021: 49,801). In 2022, 170 pupils were trained as fitters and obtained their senior secondary vocational education (MBO) diplomas (2021: 208). The number of people taking safety training was 8,528.

Making maximum use of training capacity

To make maximum use of our training capacity, we started several initiatives in 2022:

• The introduction of a single desk where all current and future employees can go for their training and development ambitions. This has increased efficiency. We formulated the first outlines for this desk this year, and further detailing will take place in 2023.

• A new training location in Rotterdam, with space for additional pupils. The new in-house training school replaces the old location and will be the place for learning and development.

• Introduction of a new management training system, in which courses and training will be linked to the strategic direction of and challenges for Stedin. Implementation will be completed in early 2023.

Leadership

The themes in leadership development in 2022 were the revised strategy and the retention of our employees. As in previous years, we also paid much attention to a number of (recurring) development processes in 2022:

• Starting managers: For this group, we have a 10-month programme entitled ‘Forward-Looking Leadership’ (’Leiderschap Vooruit’) that we continually evaluate and adjust as necessary. For the last class this year, we adjusted several modules to devote more attention to result-orientation and ownership.

• Makers of the Future: This is a 2-year programme for starting employees, usually recently graduated, who are being trained for permanent positions in the organisation. These ‘Makers of the Future’ advance to management positions. 

• Development programmes at departmental level: In 2022, we started a new development programme in which we offer development and further growth opportunities to ‘young’ professionals engaged in the management of our assets. Our ambition is to continue these programmes and expand them to include other groups where desirable and necessary. There is also a development programme in the Finance department.

Vibrant organisation

Stedin offers an extensive range of vitality solutions. We are also running pilot studies involving participation, where employees can structure their own work. This year, the colleagues working on-call and emergency repairs shifts put together their schedules themselves. We will include more co-creation in the coming year, as this increases engagement. We also started a pilot project including team sessions, which was positively received and will be deployed in 2023-2024. In addition, we put together and launched the ‘My Energy’ programme in 2022. This programme encourages employees to work on ensuring their long-term employability.

Employee motivation

We conduct a survey of employee motivation once a year. This gives us insight into the commitment of our employees both per team and Stedin-wide. The survey is actively followed up by managers, who discuss the insights obtained with their teams. The results are also followed up at Stedin-wide level, including an active roll-out of the new strategy and an improvement in communication from the organisation to the employees. The emphasis on the cultural theme of ‘Forward’ was increased in 2022 with the introduction of the new Stedin strategy. In 2022, 74.1% of employees took part in the survey (2020: 72.6%).

Greater emphasis will be placed on the cultural theme of ‘Forward’ in order to accelerate the revised strategy. This involves result-orientation and ownership, continuous improvement and renewal, learning every day and continuing our personal development at all times.

Sickness absence

The sickness absence rate came to 5.8% in 2022. This is higher than at comparable companies in the industry and energy sector. A rising trend is observable that is in line with the benchmark in the Netherlands. In the summer of 2022, an in-depth analysis was made of the development of the sickness absence rate. The main observation was that the absenteeism figures for the medium term were higher than usual. We can prevent this to some extent by initiating a dialogue when someone has been on sick leave for only a short period. We had paid less attention to these ‘frequent absenteeism’ discussions due to the coronavirus pandemic. We now are actively working on readdressing this issue.   

Work-life balance

The results of the employee motivation survey show a high degree of employee satisfaction with the flexibility in working hours. Stedin Group offers the following arrangements:

• The Collective Labour Agreement for Grid Operators (CAO NWb), which applies to Stedin, includes normal working hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday. Employees who do not work according to a schedule or who do not have fixed working hours can arrange their own working hours in consultation with their manager (even varying them daily). At Stedin, employees may, in consultation with the manager and provided that a position is suitable, work on a flexible basis - for instance, choosing to work at home, at the office or at another location. This is detailed in our work concept Stedin@Work (see box). In 2022, a home working allowance of €2 per home working day was introduced in line with the work concept.

• In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Grid Operators, employees can opt to purchase additional hours of leave, on top of their statutory minimum entitlement, using their monthly Personal Budget. We also offer an accumulated leave scheme, under which employees accumulate up to 36 hours of leave on an annual basis per calendar year. The accumulated leave can be saved for up to 10 years and used for taking leave over an extended period.

• Stedin has a Vitality Scheme, which allows employees aged 62 and above to reduce their weekly working hours. This creates more room for rest and leisure, which is beneficial to vitality and allows employees to continue working on a healthy basis until retirement. Within Stedin, 145 employees (32.8% of the target group) are taking advantage of the scheme.

• The Flexible Working Act (Wet flexibel werken) allows employees to increase or reduce their contractual working hours and to adjust their working hours and workplace. This Act obviously also applies to Stedin’s employees.

• In 2022, we worked on implementing this with the employees working the on-call and emergency repairs shifts. In 2022, the schedules for 2023 for these employees were drawn up with the involvement of the teams, for example, giving the employees more influence on their working times. This allows them to achieve a better work-life balance.

Care leave and special leave

Stedin employees can take leave to provide care or deal with special personal situations on the basis of various statutory, Collective Labour Agreement or company arrangements.

• Employees who use childcare receive a payment from the central government and choose their own childcare provider. Stedin does not provide on-site or other childcare.

• Employees are legally entitled to unpaid special leave (parental leave) for children aged up to 8 for 26 times their number of weekly working hours. Stedin pays employees 70% of their statutory minimum wage during these parental leave hours. Since 2 August 2022, during the first year of their child’s life employees are entitled to up to nine weeks of parental leave, with 70% of their (maximum) daily wage paid by the UWV.

• For the care of someone close to an employee who becomes sick or in the event of an unforeseen, urgent situation requiring immediate action (e.g. picking up a sick child from school), employees may request paid special leave (emergency leave or short-term leave of absence). Employees can take long-term care leave for up to six weeks per year, if this is needed.

• Under the Collective Labour Agreement, employees can in certain situations take special leave on full pay. This leave is available for the employee’s wedding day or that of their child or following the death of the employee’s partner, children, foster children or stepchildren, or to enable the employee to perform duties if elected or appointed to public-law bodies, for example.

• Partners may take (additional) partner leave in the first six months following the birth of a child. Within four weeks of the birth, this is one week of paid leave, and within six months of the birth up to five weeks leave with a benefit of 70% of the (maximum) daily wage from the UWV.

Financial support

Due to inflation and rising energy prices, we focused more on preventive financial care in 2022. Assisting with debt issues is part of this. Our preventive offering includes helping people to understand their current financial situation, budget coaching, consultations with the staff welfare officer and an advance of up to one month’s gross salary. Stedin reimburses the costs of these services. In addition, together with other grid managers we collaborate with the agency Geldvinder, which can help employees by providing financial coaching. We may introduce subsequent measures in early 2023 based on the evaluation of our preventive offering conducted at the end of 2022.

Inclusive society

Contributing to an inclusive society is part of our sustainability strategy. Stedin Group is committed to working for equal opportunities and long-term employability for all. We want our workforce to reflect today’s society, to feel welcome and be treated equally, regardless of personal characteristics such as age, sex, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, social background, family status, level of education or disability. Stedin prohibits and does not tolerate discrimination. To this end, Stedin enforces its code of conduct and behavioural guidelines, which lay down the standards and values that we have agreed with one another.

The code of conduct and behavioural guidelines (including non-discrimination) are also the starting point for HR processes, such as recruitment, selection, promotion, remuneration and training. These guidelines are generally accessible and can be viewed by all Stedin employees on our Intranet. If an employee is uncertain about the application of any policy, they can obtain further information from an HR professional. If an employee disagrees with a decision, they can lodge an objection. Objections can also be filed with the Security & Integrity reporting centre; for further information, see the ‘Integrity’section.

As part of the theme of an inclusive society, we strive to increase the diversity of our workforce and promote an inclusive working environment.

Diverse and inclusive workforce

In recent years, we have laid a basis for our diversity and inclusion policy by devoting attention to awareness of this issue. In 2022, we formulated targets for 2030 on the basis of a baseline measurement conducted in 2021. The essence of our diversity and inclusion policy is to encourage greater diversity within an inclusive culture. Our aim is for our workforce to be as diverse as the world in which we live. We still have a long way to go and are aware that a change in behaviour is needed to realise this aim. This is why we have set these targets for 2030.

Our diversity targets are as follows:

The targets for inclusion are:

1. * NB: The figures stated here include undesirable behaviour by customers.

Policy and actions per group

We have formulated policy and actions to move forward towards these targets for each group and each topic:

Male/female ratio:

Only 18% of our employees are women, due to the technical nature of the work we perform. Of the total number of students who started in MBO in the 2021-2022 school year, only 8% of the women chose a technical education, compared with 47% of the men. This percentage has hardly changed in recent years.

• Strategic executives: 32% women;

• Tactical executives and senior professionals: 22.6% women;

• Other job categories: approx. 17.4% women.

We are actively seeking to attract more women to a career in technology and engineering, and to technical training programmes in particular. Specifically for our training programme for people coming from other professions, we are looking for women wishing to work as fitters. We started a recruitment campaign focusing on this group in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Stedin is committed to the legislation introduced to increase the percentage of women in senior management positions and in 2022 we largely met the quota set by this legislation of at least 30% women in the organisation’s senior management. The only exception is the Board of Management (currently 25% women). We strive to achieve a 50-50 ratio in management positions and we are actively looking for female talent.

Events are organised within Stedin Group by F-EMPOWER, a network that actively focuses on encouraging female employees.

Looking at the total workforce, women at Stedin on average earn 4.1% more than men. This is because women are more frequently represented in more senior positions. If we adjust for position level, service years and age, men on average earn 1.3% more than women. With an adjusted pay differential of 1.3%, Stedin is doing well in comparison with the Dutch benchmark: in the government sector, the adjusted pay differential is 3% and in business, 6%.

Age structure

In 2022, 24% of our workforce consisted of young people and younger adults under the age of 35, an increase compared with 2021. We encourage the influx of people from this group by providing basic vocational learning pathway (BBL) traineeships and a programme for 16-year-olds at our in-house training school, by offering work placements, and through campus recruitment (fifth class of ‘Makers of the Future’). In addition, many young, inspired employees are members of Young Stedin (700 members), our young professionals' network that focuses on mutual connection and building a successful organisation.

Since the summer of 2022, we have invited colleagues to continue to work until their retirement age. The group of employees aged 65 or more is 135. There are 9 colleagues working past their statutory retirement age and there is 1 new in application.

1. * 2018, 2019 and 2020 excluding Zeeland

Working capacity

Despite our efforts, we have not yet achieved the target under the Occupational Disability (Employment Targets and Quotas) Act (Wet banenafspraak en quotum arbeidsbeperkten). Finding suitable work, and then suitable candidates, to meet this target takes much more time than for regular vacancies. In addition, this group takes longer to train up and requires a great deal of extra guidance. Although this means that the organisation has limited take-up capacity, we make an extra effort to assist people who need a helping hand, so that they can find and hold on to work. Our focus on programmes for people with an occupational disability enabled us to create yet more sustainable jobs for this group in 2022. We expect to achieve the quota target in 2025.

The growth in the number of Participation Act jobs at Stedin was largely achieved through our training programme for assistant fitters for young people from the job arrangements target group as defined under the Participation Act. We currently have 58 in-house students, 29 of whom have already advanced to a regular operational team at Stedin. No less than 26 students are learning to become all-round fitters in our in-house training school. This was not foreseen at the start of this process, but as 45% of the students currently continue their training, this training programme is making an even bigger contribution to Stedin’s recruitment needs.

Cultural diversity

In 2022, we launched a cultural diversity survey at Stedin, based on the cultural diversity barometer of Statistics Netherlands. We expect to have the results of this survey in early 2023 and we will take appropriate action based on the results. In April 2022, the third group of status holders (refugees with a Dutch residence permit) started their training to attain certification as a fitter. This time, we focused on the region of Utrecht and monitored the group attending lessons at our in-house training school there.

People with a (non-western) migration background have a structural disadvantage in the labour market. In order to offer everyone equal opportunity, Stedin aims for an objective recruitment and selection process that is not affected by unconscious bias. In 2022, the entire recruitment team was trained in the unbiased selection candidates. The training focused on the legal framework, how prejudices arise and how to recognise them, writing inclusive job adverts, and how to set up an objective selection process. This training was also made available to managers and others involved in recruitment and selection. 40 managers completed this training.

LHBTIQ+

Stedin has had a formal LHBTIQ+ network since 2022. This network has set itself the goal to create greater social safety for this group. It regularly organises meetings, drinks parties and talks to raise awareness.

Inclusion and social safety

The score for inclusion in the employee motivation survey in 2022 was 8.2. Inclusion and social safety are important preconditions for a reliable and safe performance of work in a working environment that is pleasant for all colleagues. We have developed a number of interventions aimed at increasing social safety and reducing undesirable behaviour. During the onboarding of new employees, we devote more attention to social safety and this theme is addressed in the training courses for all fitters. It deals with resilience, and handling aggression from the environment. We have also developed an intervention whereby managers can discuss social safety and undesirable behaviour with their teams. In 2022, we organised a diversity week, with around 14 events (workshops, lectures and training courses) on the theme of inclusive working and dealing with micro-aggression.

Freedom of association

Stedin actively supports the right of employees to freedom of association. Our Collective Labour Agreement provides that employees may join a trade union. Employees may use their Personal Budget to pay their trade union dues. Stedin has an elected Works Council. Elections for the Works Council were held in May 2022. Every employee with a permanent contract may stand for election.

Employment and employment practice

As the environment in which we operate changes, our focus remains on retaining jobs. By using data to continuously improve our ability to look ahead, we are able to choose proactively whether we can fill a vacancy with a colleague or whether we should take on an external worker on a temporary or permanent basis.

Commitment to providing work-to-work guidance

We are providing for timely development of our organisation and people to be prepared for the future, thereby ensuring employment. We are taking steps to develop competencies that will be needed in the future. We have also further equipped the mobility office to support employees. This is useful when someone is ready to make their next career step, or may be necessary because a department is undergoing such extensive change that employees need to look for a suitable job within Stedin. As part of the four restructuring programmes that were undertaken in 2021 (Business Support Services, Market, Integration of Stedin and DNWG, and Fleet Management), the employees concerned received close support from the moment the change was announced until possible redundancy due to the reduction of jobs or a job mismatch. Throughout this entire period, we were committed to providing work-to-work guidance, inside as well as outside Stedin. To facilitate this, we developed a working method that combines carefulness and transparency. If our focus on training and internal mobility does not produce the required results, we deploy the safety net under our sectoral Collective Labour Agreement to provide colleagues with work-to-work guidance outside Stedin.

In 2022, there were 14 colleagues affected by a restructuring who we were unable to guide to a new position at Stedin. In these cases, the restructuring therefore led to compulsory redundancy.

Flexible working practices

We limit the flexible use of agency workers as far as possible, but this depends on the type of work. We choose to deploy temporary workers for temporary, irregular work. This the case, for instance, with temporary projects, when temporary support is required (e.g. maternity leave replacement), when specific expertise is temporarily required, and for competencies that are very scarce (e.g. specialised IT staff). When using temporary contracts, we obviously comply with the applicable rules regarding the number of consecutive contracts and their duration. We periodically review the duration the deployment of our temporary workforce, its quality and the associated costs. This way, we avoid unnecessary costs and loss of knowledge, and we promote the possibility of internal staff members advancing to more senior positions.

In 2022, the percentage of external staff relative to internal staff was 18.0% (2021: 15.7%). The number of external staff members engaged rose due to the tightness in the labour market. Click here for a full listing of the key figures relating to Stedin Group’s workforce.

Collective Labour Agreement

Although the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) was not yet due to expire until the end of 2022, Stedin and the other employers in the sector considered it important in these turbulent times to give employees information about the new CAO well before this expiry date. With intensive cooperation and a positive approach, the employers and the unions were able to realise this ambition, with agreement reached in August on a short-term CAO lasting for one year. In addition to a structural pay increase with effect from 1 January 2023, the parties agreed on a one-off gross payment of €1,250 for full-time employees in 2022. This purpose of this payment is to compensate employees for the sharp increase in the cost of living. The parties also agreed to extend the Vitality Scheme for employees aged 62 by one year and to renew the sectoral social plan. In addition, an agreement was made on diversity and inclusion.

In connection with the agreements made on the on-call and emergency repairs shifts in the current CAO, Stedin started various initiatives focused on easing the workload of employees. In addition, the financial payment for on-call and emergency services in Stedin’s company CAO was increased with effect from 1 April 2022.

Works Council

In accordance with the Works Councils Act (Wet op de ondernemingsraden, WOR), Stedin Group has a Works Council. Consultation between the executive committee of the Works Council and the CEO of Stedin Group takes place on a fortnightly basis. Consultation with all the members of the Works Council takes place roughly six times a year. The Works Council, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board additionally conduct tripartite consultations, and the chair of the Works Council takes part in the Strategic Coalition. As the Works Council comprises several different committees, it is well informed of the issues and developments in the organisation. Co-creation is promoted as far as possible, resulting in the Works Council’s involvement in various programmes and initiatives from an early stage.

INTERVIEW WITH ADRI DE BRUIJNE, CHAIR OF STEDIN GROUP WORKS COUNCIL

Last summer, Alco de Lange stepped down after serving three years as chair of the Works Council and was replaced by Adri de Bruijne. Our colleagues, that’s what it’s about. ‘First of all, to recruit and retain colleagues. But also to make sure that our colleagues can still pay their bills, given today’s energy prices and inflation.’ 

Adri is not new to the Works Council, he has been a Works Council member since 2014 and has been vice-chair for the last five years. Last summer, he thought it was the right time to make himself available to take over as the chair. Adri: ‘There is a lot going on at Stedin, I think it’s important to play an active part in that.’ After a smooth election, the new Works Council was elected with Adri as chair.   

Major themes

2022 was an intense year for the Works Council, with regular discussions of the major themes at Stedin - sometimes in solely an advisory capacity, at other times with the right of approval. But they are always prepared to consult, for example on matters such as finances and the new strategy. ‘The cooperation in the “golden triangle” - the Works Council, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board - is very positive and productive. We are truly listened to.’

The Works Council always points out where the bottlenecks are. ‘For example, regarding the 500 million euros which the government has reserved for Stedin. We have asked what impact this will have on the governance and organisation.’ Or take the issue of employees who may get into difficulties because of inflation. ‘Some colleagues do not want to admit that they are financial trouble, Whereas the organisation can help them. While the Works Council does not have a say over wages, we are certainly consulting with HR to see what we can do.’

We are pleased to see increased co-creation with employees, such as in terms of setting schedules for the on-call and emergency repairs shifts. Adri: ‘We have also suggested to hold a session about the design of the chains, where colleagues were told to be as critical as possible. The reason for this was that some concerns were not being expressed, and it is better for these to be brought out into the open. Decisive steps were taken. This type of session is good, because it ensures that a decision is broadly supported.’

People are listened to

Open communication has also been essential in the integration with DNWG to ensure this proceeded as smoothly as possible. ‘A DNWG fitter called the Works Council at one point to share their concerns about the communication. We then immediately shifted gears to improve things. As a result, this person is now a member of the Works Council. This person experienced that if they say something, they are listened to and they can actually have influence. Complaints are really followed up.’

The Works Council believes that continuing to listen is essential. ‘Through the employee motivation survey, for instance. There were many complaints regarding cooperation within departments last year. This was discussed during the first two or three months after the survey, but after five months it receded into the background. We then had a discussion with the Board of Management to highlight the issues around the survey again and to establish where we stood on this. Our advice was then to participate in working discussions with the employees. This is how you keep up awareness of the important themes.’