Hillewaere On Tour brings its mission, training and focus on well-being to all offices
To celebrate our growth and reward our employees for all their efforts, we went on tour with Hillewaere last week. Due to the many acquisitions in recent months, our workforce has grown to no fewer than 200 employees in no time. To forge them into a single team that shares the same mission and vision, all our offices were visited by our “wrapped Hillewaere bus”. ‘Our employees are our most important asset,’ says our Change Manager Dimitri Maenhoudt. ‘So we want to get to know them even better and invest in their well-being.’
Our turnover grew from 3 million to 27 million euros thanks to various acquisitions. Since March last year, nine offices have been added that fit perfectly with our company's DNA. To get to know all the newcomers and our colleagues better and to bring everyone together, we visited all the offices in a wrapped bus and immersed everyone in the Hillewaere DNA.
“With Hillewaere On Tour, we went to our employees instead of having them come to us. The bus also allowed us to bring employees from different offices in the same region into contact with each other. The better everyone gets to know each other, the better they can work together and support each other. Insurance and real estate are two different sectors that are sometimes intertwined. But by bringing them into contact with each other, they can learn from each other and strengthen each other.” Dimitri Maenhoudt, Change Manager Hillewaere Group
Boosting group dynamics was not the only mission of our Hillewaere “on tour”. During this five-day tour, all employees were immersed in our corporate culture in a playful way. This ensures that everyone shares the same mission and values. Each day, employees from two of our offices per region that are scheduled were mixed together. At the head office in Turnhout, the shared services and real estate teams were mixed together.
“Investing in people is the best investment a company can make. They are the company and ensure that our customers can continue to rely on our trusted, high-quality services. This means they are always assured of the most professional approach, and we are driven by the excellent results this delivers.” Roel Druyts, CEO Hillewaere Group
To continue investing in our employees' knowledge, we also launched a new learning management system. All 200 of our employees will be able to sign up to an online platform where they can follow and share courses, training programmes and learning pathways at their own pace. They will also be able to update these according to their own wishes and needs in various formats, such as videos, e-books, webinars, podcasts, audio and presentations.
"Sooner or later, almost everything makes the transition from the “real” world to the online world, so “learning” cannot be left behind. Our primary objective is to make learning more accessible by using the latest technologies. It is also crucial that we give our employees the time and space to do this, so that they can invest in their own development. That is why everyone is given a 3D-printed figure holding a “do not disturb” sign. By attaching it to their computer screen, they signal to their colleagues that they want to focus without being interrupted." Dimitri Maenhoudt, Change Manager Hillewaere Group
Another mission of our Hillewaere On Tour was to share the results of the employee survey we conducted in collaboration with AG Health. 85% of employees completed the survey, enabling us to formulate a number of clear points for attention at organisational level.
"Disconnecting, physical activity and work pressure are the three areas that our employees have indicated we should focus on in the coming months. We want this initiative to kick things off and send the right message. We are getting them out of their offices and away from their desks so they can support each other as a team. By giving them the jigsaw puzzle they will be doing together on the bus and finding a place for it in their office, we hope to remind them that it is important to take a break from their desks. After all, employees who feel good about themselves perform better. And that benefits not only them, but also our company and our customers." Dimitri Maenhoudt, Change Manager, Hillewaere Group
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