Royal Jaarbeurs: the friendly, sustainable and innovative host for all of the Netherlands. A place where you meet, inspire, learn and grow. We'd love to tell you what's going on at Royal Jaarbeurs and the way we do things. How? By getting to know our strongest asset: our people. Mathijs de Vries is account manager of guest events and Frank van Hal is senior content marketer of the trade shows BouwBeurs and VSK. Besides their work, both passionate colleagues also serve on the Works Council (OR) at Jaarbeurs.
The valuable voice within Jaarbeurs
The Works Council (OR) plays a crucial role at Jaarbeurs. "Actually, we are a kind of bridge between the management and our employees," says Mathijs, who has been a member of the OR for almost three years. Together with seven other colleagues, Mathijs and Frank represent the interests of all Jaarbeurs employees. They meet regularly to discuss issues and take decisions. Frank says: "Together with all our colleagues we organise fantastic trade fairs and events, but a lot happens behind the scenes as well. I really enjoy organising, but I feel I should also give something back to this great company. That is why I stood for election some time ago. And then you have to get your colleagues to vote for you."
"It is not a game, you are implementing a law."
Within the OR, Mathijs and Frank are building the future of Jaarbeurs together. "You secretly gain an enormous amount of knowledge from your job, but from a different perspective than from your position. I feel like a feeler for both our employees and our management. For instance, I get questions with enormous regularity. These come in at the coffee machine, on the exhibition floor or at our monthly Jaarbeurs drinks party. We also have a special OR panel. This is a group of 30 colleagues where we collect feedback through surveys. Based on all this input, we put topics on the agenda," Mathijs says.
An internal consultancy on lots of topics
Several times a year, the Works Council sits down with management. Topics covered include working conditions, organisational changes, pension choices, development, diversity and inclusion and much more. Within the OR, Frank gets to know even more of Jaarbeurs and a lot more of his colleagues. "What bothers colleagues, what do they like? We are also included in strategic directions of the management. We are closer to the fire than you think. We really get involved in everything. From new buildings, to car parks and bins of legislation."
"You are not just building a cool fair or cool event, we are building the future together!"
To serve on the OR, Mathijs and Frank say it is important to be able to filter and signal things. "We are quickly approached by colleagues, which is a hugely good sign. There are plenty of subjects about which people knock on our door. The important thing is to have a good sense of what has priority. As soon as several colleagues run into the same things, it becomes a topic on the agenda," Mathijs says.
From candidate to full Works Council member
Every two years, there are OR elections. Usually, four long-standing colleagues are on the OR and five new colleagues are appointed. This way, no knowledge and experience is lost. The OR receives special training where OR members are taught the basic rules of the Works Councils Act (WOR). Frank explains, "From the theory, you get a deep dive into the organisation. It is hugely inspiring. Now that I am in the Works Council, I feel that I am 'Building the future together'. This may be the slogan of BouwBeurs for which I have been doing the marketing for years, but that's also how it feels as a member of the OR!"
"You feel responsible for Jaarbeurs, customers and colleagues - you have influence on that in the OR."
