More self-reliance in society. That is the trend in recent years. The Platform Vrijwilligersorganisatie Venlo (PVOV) strengthens and supports residents on their way towards this. And why not in cooperation with the business community? After all, the platform reasons, the knife cuts both ways: it increases well-being among employees and also benefits the employer. But, is practice ready for this?
Saskia Overbeek and Dana Feringa
With the idea that municipality, entrepreneurs and volunteers can join hands to support employees on their way to self-reliance, the PVOV is striking an innovative path that brings together profit and non-profit sectors. The idea is that employees from different companies in the Venlo region can support each other during working hours with requests for help in different areas of life, whether work-related or not. This creates more self-reliance, which is expected to reduce the need for formal care. In addition, it creates a win-win situation: if an employee is helped with something, the employer also benefits. The PVOV fulfils the role of coordinator here, the municipality provides space through subsidies to voluntary organisations involved and entrepreneurs facilitate by making time and resources available.
The door is half open
In the winter of 2020-2021, a survey was conducted to assess the viability of this idea. Through questionnaires and interviews, employees of companies in the Venlo region were asked for their opinions on 'help for and by employees' and on the best way to organise it.
The study showed that, given a notional request for help in seven different areas of life, employees are to a limited extent inclined to ask for help from an employee of their own or another company or from a volunteer. In line with this, they are to a limited extent inclined to offer help to another employee. One could say that the door is half open, but people do not step through it.
An app is seen as the most appropriate means of organising this form of mutual aid, if sufficiently tailored to the user's needs.
It was notable that for requests for help that occurred in the last 12 months, in no case was a volunteer called upon. However, for a fictitious request for help, the volunteer, as well as an employee of another company (in the role of volunteer), was considered a serious option. Thus, it seems that the inclination to ask a particular helper for help is greater when this help is offered concretely.
Work is work, private is private
Another key finding from the survey was that the vast majority of employees want to discuss help issues outside working hours and not during working hours. Work is for work and private is private, is mostly the thinking. At the same time, HR staff and managers indicated that, from an employer's perspective, they are willing to make time and resources available to employees to enable mutual help. They saw the win-win situation clearly. However, these same HR staff and managers had previously indicated from the perspective of help-seeker that they were willing to receive help outside working hours, as were most other employees.
Culture?
The results of the survey raise some interesting questions. To what extent does culture play a role in the willingness for mutual help among employees and the preference to want to organise help outside working hours? For now, it is unusual in the Netherlands to bring private problems to work. And how will this culture develop in the (near) future?
Now suppose the platform were already set up, an app already existed and employers actually provided time and resources. With that knowledge, would employees be more inclined to ask and offer help to each other and also more inclined to discuss help questions during working hours?
For now, this is an unanswered question, but one worth exploring further. In any case, a number of developments seem to speak in favour of this scenario.
The new economy: a social character
The economy is in a phase of transition. Where for years we measured success mainly by profit and infinite growth, we are seeing a movement towards an economy that takes ecological issues and well-being into account.
British economist Kate Raworth has gained fame with her doughnut model. In her book 'Doughnut Economics' (2017), Raworth argues for an economy centred on human rights, signed by UN member states (social foundation) and the room for manoeuvre of the economy is between this social foundation and the ecological ceiling. Her proposed donut is perfectly in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015) drawn up by the United Nations, which must be implemented by 2030 and to which all member states are committed. They are being translated into European, national and regional policies. Colleges and universities have also flocked to this, and SDGs and economic thinking like Raworth's are increasingly popping up as a regular part of economic studies.
Wind in the sails?
We would not be surprised if the PVOV's idea gets wind of things. The economy is moving in the right direction and employers are increasingly willing to do their bit. The employee door is currently half-open, but with the help of the move towards a more social economy and an accompanying cultural shift in business, it may be able to be pushed further open.
In the Municipality of Venlo, the PVOV has already found a cooperation partner and the advisory body Samenwerkende Maatschappelijke Organisaties Limburg (SMOL) has also agreed to participate in the project. Together with the participating companies, the PVOV will now start a pilot to investigate how best to organise help for and by employees. Who knows, maybe the door will soon be knocked down....
