When we speak about the quality of work in the Netherlands, the accent is often put on the such important aspects like the balance work/private life and the salary.

Which is perfectly understandable, considering how these elements are important to increase the quality of work and, then, of the life of a worker.

 

But there’s another thing which I would like to underline, because in a lot of countries (like in Italy, for instance) it’s often missed: the support of the employer towards the employee.

 

In the Netherlands I’ve experienced a different attention about the needs of the workers, which are motivated to be bounded to the company they’re working for with a kind of loyalty deal: you do your best as worker, I’ll do do the same to guarantee you all the best conditions possible to work efficiently and safety and I’ll support you in case of need.

 

In Italy I had learned that a lot of courses provided by the hospital were an instrument to release the hospital itself from a great part of responsibility towards the employee in case of damage.

The philosophy was: “I’ve taken care you to learn how to do this procedure properly, but you didn’t anyway: now it’s up to you to face the consequences”.

 

Here I’ve learnt this other way of thinking: “I’ll provide you the requested knowledge about some critical topics, in order to be able to support and defend you better in case of need. We – you, employee and me, employer – will both start from a common base of awareness, for our own sake and the one of the patients”.

 

You feel that you are not alone:

– the courses are provided by the employer for free;

– the applies for further specialisation courses and masters are sponsorized from the employers themselves, in order to have more competent and high-qualified professionals in the team;

– the managers aren’t bosses put there to judge you: they work together with you, to substain you, in order to make the work flow smoothly for everyone and that everyone (professionals and clients) will be satisfied from it;

– the role of the business/life coach is developed in every company, to listen to the needs of all the people working there and to help them to achieve their objects and to solve their problems;

– all the technological instruments you need to work at your best are provided by the company;

– all the km you ride with your own car and even with your bicycle are refunded (even though with different rates of course);

– all the time you are busy with work-related occupation (for example answer to the mails from your laptop or checking the news about the patients, being home, before starting your shift) is considered working time and it’s regularly paid;

– all the extras are paid;

– if you want to start to work less hours than what you’re currently doing, no one judges you.

Your needs as individual are not mutually related to the needs of the company: what matters is to find a compromise useful for eachother.

 

For me it was a new working universe: a new culture and a new way to consider my life, even outside the work.

 

I invite you to experience the same wonderful feeling!

Federica.