"Work happiness starts with yourself, but together we make it bigger."

Being meaningful

"For me, work happiness means being meaningful," begins Fleur. "I want to do something that matters, that contributes to people or to the bigger picture. And I want to get a little better every day, both as a person and as a professional. That sense of growth and progress is very important to me. If everything stays the same, it makes me restless. I believe in developing and improving."

What makes her role as HR manager so special? "I am in the middle of the organization. I am in contact with everyone: managers, employees, management. As a result, I know what's going on, I hear what people are concerned about and I can make policy that really connects with practice. I like that: ensuring that others can do what they do best."

Fleur knows Driessen Groep from the inside. "I started 10 years ago as an intermediary at Driessen, then I worked at Reijn and moved on internally within Driessen Groep. As a result, I know what it feels like to take different steps within our organization. That helps me to keep seeing the person behind the employee." 

Work happiness as a compass for the organization

Within Driessen Groep, work happiness is a very conscious choice. "We believe that work happiness affects your whole life," says Fleur. "After all, you are one person. There is not a work-Fleur and a private-Fleur. If you are happy at work, you also radiate that outside of work hours. And vice versa."

This belief is deeply woven into our mission: Doing cool things together that matter. "It's about connection and meaning, but also about social commitment," Fleur explains. "For example, we create opportunities for people with a distance to the labor market. That is not always the most commercial choice, and for us it is the right one."

What sets Driessen Groep apart is authenticity. "Work happiness is not a marketing term with us. We really feel it. We listen to our employees and take their input seriously. So our employee satisfaction survey (MTO) is also definitely not a tick box, but a mirror. We actually use the results to improve. And with an MTO rating of 8.3, we are quite proud of that." 

From policy to perception

Work happiness takes concrete shape in a variety of initiatives. "A great example is our choice budget. With this we give employees the freedom to make choices that fit their stage of life," says Fleur. "Our transport mobility policy has also been completely revised based on feedback from colleagues. We didn't look at: what is cheap, but: what makes people happy? And how does it remain sustainable?"

Vitality and balance also receive a lot of attention. "We want our colleagues to be comfortable in their own skin. Not only at work, but also outside of it," says Fleur. That is why, in addition to our vitality platform, we also have the Bloeij Desk. Employees can come here if they feel that they are not feeling well, are stuck or just need a good conversation, regardless of their manager or HR. Together with the employee, a coach examines what is going on. This can be work-related, but also something personal. It does not have to come up only when there are problems. It is preventive, to prevent small signals from growing. This ensures that employees feel seen and heard. And that contributes directly to job happiness."

Another initiative Fleur is proud of is the Women & Work theme. "We saw that women with young children were more likely to drop out or progress less sustainably into management or director roles. So we set up programs with workshops on work-life balance, conversations during and after pregnancy and a 'soft landing' upon returning from leave. Think temporary reduced hours or counseling through the Bloeij Desk. We see that makes a big difference." 

Learning, growing and taking ownership

Learning and development are inextricably linked to job happiness. "We believe everyone is talented," says Fleur. "Through our talent programs, we identify those talents and help employees grow. Think of our Campus Colleges (trainings for and by colleagues), leadership programs and strategic workforce planning."

But work happiness also requires ownership. "Sometimes it's a challenge," Fleur admits. "We facilitate and do a lot, which makes it lurking that employees sit back and expect work happiness to be something we take care of for them. That's why we encourage managers to have the honest conversation: what do you need to be happy in your work? After all, work happiness always starts with yourself." 

Leadership that connects

Leadership also plays a big role in creating job happiness. "Many of our leaders have moved on internally," Fleur says. "That makes them recognizable and approachable. With our leadership programs we support them in their growth, from coaching and inspiration sessions on leadership to HR topics such as absenteeism and talent development."

The starting point: people-oriented leadership that sees, listens and connects. "We want leaders to really know their people. Know what drives them. Only then can you help someone find and maintain their job happiness." 

A culture of 'can do' and wanting to move forward

What is Fleur most proud of? "The mentality within Driessen Groep," she says without hesitation. "The positive view of people. We want to do the right thing. For each other, for our customers and for society. That mentality is deep in our DNA. We believe in progress, in helping each other grow. And that, ultimately, is at the heart of job happiness."