Attractive employer
Health and sustainable employability
Alliander is actively committed to being a sustainable and valuable employer, with continuous and sustainable investments in our employees. This means that we pay close attention to retaining and attracting the right people, and helping them to get the best out of themselves and the organisation.
Alliander Fit!
In 2023, the Alliander Fit! programme was used to organise customised programmes in the field of mental, physical and social health. Roadshows were also organised and employees could visit our intranet for challenges and theme weeks.
In 2023 we focused on the financial fitness of our employees. Last year 214 people (accounts) participated in the programme offered by Alliander.
Preventive medical examinations
Once every three years, our employees receive invitations for a preventive medical examination. 3,063 invitations were sent and 1,406 examinations were performed in 2023.
SE budget
We support employees in managing their own well-being through the sustainable employment (SE) budget. Among other things, this enables them to purchase facilities for their workplace, cover budget coach fees or recover expenses for sports facilities and equipment. This year a large number of employees made use of this budget. 40% of the budget is spent on sports.
Alliander is a technical top-class employer
Partly because of all our investments in and focus on our efforts to be a good employer, Alliander was awarded the designation ‘technical top-class employer’ in 2023. Alliander’s HRM Director also won the HR Top 100 public award in the Sustainability category.
Sickness absence
In 2023, the sickness absence rate was 4.4% (2022: 4.8%, target 4.3% max). The sickness absence rate gradually dropped during the year. At the end of the year, it increased due to increased medium and long-term absence.
The prevention and employability consultations (PIOs) focus a great deal on the self-management (‘Eigen Regie’) model and its further development and optimisation. Managers who have to deal with absence management receive support from internal prevention and sickness absence specialists. An external occupational health and safety service is also available to them. This service can help managers who have questions and require advice on counselling employees who are absent or reintegrating. To maximise and maintain the employability of employees, interventions are frequently performed by the collective health insurer Zilveren Kruis.
Sickness absence rate
Employee satisfaction
We use the Central Employee Barometer to measure how satisfied all colleagues are with our work at Alliander. This year’s response was higher than in previous years (74%). Employees feel inspired and proud (82%, target 81%). Alliander’s score for enthusiasm is also high compared to the benchmark. Because of this, plus our high score as a good employer, Alliander was awarded the designation ‘World Class Workplace’. People are mainly concerned about Alliander’s agility and effectiveness. In concrete terms, this is reflected in the low rate at which improvements are converted into working solutions. The perceived workload has decreased. Nevertheless, some of our teams still perceive their workload as high or very high. The barometer shows that more colleagues in these teams are now looking around for a job outside Alliander. The various organisational units and teams have been informed of the most important points for improvement from the employee barometer and can use the results as a starting point for discussions and improvement initiatives.
Hybrid working
Alliander’s employees work at Alliander sites for an average of two days a week. The 2023 barometer results show that the time employees spend working from home and in the office hardly affects their level of commitment and satisfaction. We have an Alliander-wide policy in place for hybrid working.
Training and development
In 2023, Alliander invested 3.0% of its wage bill in employee training (2022: 2.9%). We offer various training programmes and opportunities for development to make teams better able to perform and learn. In addition, the right professional knowledge and skills are available when needed and we apply a broad approach to talent development, both professional and personal. These learning and development opportunities are offered by way of team coaches and training and development programmes, but they are also part of our talent management and trainee programmes.
Collective labour agreement for network companies
The network companies want to be attractive workplaces, where people are happy to work and contribute to achieving the energy transition with a positive attitude. Based on this vision, employers and unions have agreed a collective labour agreement for network companies for 2023. The agreements laid down in this document include a 4.0% structural wage increase and a one-time payment of €1,250. Other key results are a new Sectoral Social Plan and extension of the Vitality Scheme. Agreements regarding diversity and inclusion, such as flexible public holidays, and an investigation into the effectiveness of the SE budget are also part of the package. In late 2023, the employers’ association and the unions reached an agreement for the new collective labour agreement for network companies (NWb) and the Sectoral Social Plan NWb, including successive wage increases of 7% in 2024 and 3% from 2025.
Career centre
The career centre supports all Alliander employees who are reviewing their career and employment options because their job has changed, or may be about to change or be terminated. A total of 21 colleagues became redundant in 2023 (2022: 23), and 367 (2022: 340) people made use of careers advice and coaching. In 2023, 78 employees managed to find a new job or an appropriate alternative (2022: 64). Career counsellors help employees to discover their talents and find the most suitable role for them, either inside or outside Alliander. We believe that everyone is worth investing in, and we do this by offering internships, secondments, and training. We talk to employees about their future development in their current role or elsewhere. By making timely investments in our employees, we try to avoid redundancies wherever possible.
Alliander Foundation
The Alliander Foundation encourages and helps our employees to engage in volunteering. The Alliander Foundation spent a total of €275,000 on various projects and activities in 2023. All colleagues were given four hours off for voluntary work in 2023. Over 2,515 colleagues participated in this initiative. Community-related activities were organised, both for teams and for individual colleagues to participate in. In addition, as in other years, colleagues could obtain support for their own voluntary work or set up an action for a good cause. There was also an opportunity for pleasantly surprising people going through a difficult period or who are lonely, with a fun activity or gift. Alliander is proud that the Foundation supports employee volunteering. In turn, the employees experience benefits such as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and increased workplace happiness.
Internal compensation ratios
The transparency of compensation ratios within organisations is the subject of global debate. Alliander aims to report openly on this issue. The salary of the CEO and employees falls within the scope of the collective labour agreement for network companies (CAO Netwerkbedrijven). The total income of the CEO is 3.7 times the median salary of all Alliander employees in the Netherlands (2022: 3.7).