Better together
Employees participate in the decision-making process with regard to the organisation's policy in the Works Council. The Works Council was involved in, for instance, the selection of a new health and safety agency, restructuring of production locations, reorganisation of the Administrative and Legal Affairs and Digital Security department, and social safety.
Our employee participation consists of the Central Works Council and three underlying Works Councils that represent the various business units.
The Central Works Council consists of eleven members. They are delegated from the underlying Works Councils. The Operations Works Council delegates 6 members, the Transition Works Council delegates 2 members and the Staff Works Council delegates 3 members. These Works Councils are supported by a secretariat.
The Transition and Staff Works Councils held interim elections in June because not enough candidates had singed up for the Works Council elections in 2022.
Central Works Council (COR)
The COR dealt with a wide range of topics in 2023. For instance, we examined all the company regulations and adapted these where necessary. The COR also gave its consent for the new health and safety agency as the contract with the health and safety agency Zorg voor de Zaak expired in 2023. In addition, the COR was also actively involved in the making of contract agreements. With as result a new contract.
New performance appraisal system
We were also involved in the development of a performance appraisal interview, the SOR [Samen voor ontwikkeling en resultaat (Together for development and results). The old performance management approach was no longer in line with the changing world and personal needs of employees. This was replaced by a performance management approach that focuses on attention for each other. Employees are continuously working together on their personal development, skills, vitality, and team and individual performance and they are thus better able to function in a changing environment. The trade unions were also involved in this process as the new performance appraisal system also has an impact on remuneration. The COR approved the new approach that will be implemented in 2024. The trade unions and employees also voted in favour of the new approach.
Step-by-step plan
The management and the COR also drew up a step-by-step plan for the process that must be followed for advice and approval procedures. This step-by-step plan saves a lot of time while also enhancing the quality of our collaboration.
Golden triangle
The COR has set itself the objective to further professionalise. The consultations between the EB, COR and the SB, the 'golden triangle’, play an important role in this. In 2023, we worked on the further optimisation of our relationship, collaboration, and dialogue. The golden triangle met regularly in 2023 to discuss topical issues, both formally and informally.
Operations Works Council
The energy transition leads to a lot of pressure and changes within Operations. The work package is growing and the organisation cannot keep pace due to the shortage of personnel. This means that we must work smarter and more efficiently in various departments. The organisational changes were discussed in the Works Council which subsequently issued an advice. Important issues were the feasibility and the workload of employees. In accordance with the Works Council Act (WOR), we examine how employees can participate in the processes and whether changes actually contribute to Enexis's objectives. We strive for the standardisation of working methods where possible. Two important requests for advice that the Operations Works Council handled in 2023 were about:
Restructuring Production
The Operations Works Council assessed the restructuring of the supra-regional organisation, both for Production North (beginning of 2023) and Production South (during 2023). These requests resulted form the production growth that is necessary for the energy transition. The aim is to standardise the work that Enexis outsources to contractors. To arrive at a sound advice, the Works Council took safety risks into account. In the positive advice that we gave to the EB, we emphatically requested building in evaluation moments.
Supply Chain Management
Another important request for advice in 2023 concerned supply chain management. With the exponential increase of the work, there is also a growing need for materials. The forecast is that the logistic centre in Hoogeveen will no longer be sufficient as of 2025. Therefore, Enexis is looking into the possibility of relocating. The Transitions Works Council was requested to provide advice on this. The Works Council saw risks and challenges in the area of safety and employment. We addressed these risks in our advice by stipulating conditions and evaluation moments.
Transition Works Council
Until June, the Transition Works Council was understaffed. After the Works Council elections in June, we were able to increase the number of members considerably. A wide range of important issues were on our agenda in 2023:
Second salary scale
Following questions from employees, the Transition Works Council put cluster leads and job differentiation on the agenda in 2023. The reason for this was the second salary scale at Operations and the role of cluster lead. The Works Council discussed this matter after which the proposal was adjusted. An additional webinar took place to inform employees better about the difference in salary.
Social safety
Social safety was also an important topic in the Transition Works Council. The Energy System and Transition (E&T) department is increasingly being confronted with verbal aggression. We requested the EB's attention for this. A resilience programme was initiated for employees in consultation with the Works Council.
Staff Works Council
The spear points for the Staff Works Council in 2023 were vitality and better communication with employees. We drew up a communication plan to increase the involvement of employees and to inform them about important developments in the organisation. In addition, the vitality department is carrying out an inventory for us into the role that the Works Council can play in promoting the vitality of employees. The Staff Works Council dealt with the following requests for advice:
Reorganisation of the Administrative and Legal Affairs and Digital Security department
The Administrative and Legal Affairs and Digital Security department was reorganised in 2023. The tasks were reassigned and security and privacy were relocated to elsewhere in the organisation. The Administrative and Legal Affairs and Digital Security department went from three to two units with each their own manager. And the department was given a new name: Corporate & Legal Affairs (CLA). A director heads the CLA department that contains Corporate Affairs (CA) and Legal Affairs (LA) each with their own manager. The Operations Works Council, Staff Works Council, the CISO and CLA were involved in the request for advice. The request itself was handled by the COR as the combining body.
Relocation ICT
The Staff Works Council is closely involved in the planned relocation of ICT to Orthen. The reason for our involvement was the consternation among employees about the planned relocation. The Works Council submitted attention points to the management, such as the accessibility of the new location, the safety of employees, and the working conditions. The management agreed to communicate more timely and to take the attention points into account in the realisation of the plans.