City of Kortrijk
Every department in the City of Kortrijk is different. As the City of Kortrijk’s prevention advisor, Bram Deruyck has to feel at home in several different markets, from sports facilities and care homes to playrooms and meeting centres. IDEWE is there to help him, and engage an expert for each area of expertise. It is support that’s more than welcome. “If I have any questions, IDEWE will provide a clear, solution-oriented answer. Often on the same day.”
Bram Deruyck has worked for the City of Kortrijk for eight years, two of which he’s spent as a prevention advisor. He previously worked at the city’s Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW). In addition to his position as prevention advisor for the city, he also performs the same role at the non-profit organisation Zorg Kortrijk. Zorg Kortrijk is responsible for the five care centres and the childcare centre in Kortrijk. Bram must master a wide range of skills, which makes his job challenging – and that’s why IDEWE’s support is invaluable.
Two social-medical teams
An organisation such as the City of Kortrijk benefits from the establishment of a social-medical team when it comes to a policy on absence from work due to illness. The support process promotes the return to work of employees on long-term sick leave.
For the City of Kortrijk, the social-medical team consists of two bodies: the social-medical team for the City of Kortrijk/OCMW and the social-medical team for the non-profit organisation. The City of Kortrijk/OCMW team consists of a human resources director, assisted by two HR employees, as well as an employee from the internal service for prevention and protection at work. The team focuses primarily on employee wellbeing and also works closely with an IDEWE occupational doctor.
“The non-profit organisation’s team is slightly smaller. It consists of a director, an HR employee, an IDEWE occupational doctor and myself. The topics for discussion are the same for both bodies. As such, we primarily focus on employeeson long-term sick leave, but also on subjects such as work pressure, aggression at work andreintegration processes.”
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A large number of vacancies go unfilled. It’s hard to find the right people.
Work pressure due to staff shortages
One of the main challenges faced by the non-profit organisation, which manages several residential care centres, is staff absenteeism. If someone is off sick, this has direct consequences for the other employees. Within the social medical team, the occupational doctor plays an important role in feeling out how someone’s doing. If the doctor indicates that an employee is showing signs of suffering from burnout, for example, Bram and his team step in to look for a timely solution. And if someone is temporarily unfit for work, the doctor will advise when they can return to the company.
"In both organisations, staff shortages are causing the high work pressure. A large number of vacancies go unfilled. It’s hard to find the right people. The unemployment rate in West Flanders is low, too, which doesn’t make the situation any easier.”
The City of Kortrijk is also seeing an increase in aggression from the population towards its employees. Together with IDEWE, the city is focusing a lot of efforts on this subject as aggression can lead to long-term absence, and that presents the whole organisation with a challenge. “The occupational doctor and prevention advisors for psychosocial wellbeing visit each site to see what could be improved. This may include installing a desk next to an escape door, so someone can flee straight away if needed.”
Risk management tailored to each department
The City of Kortrijk has a small internal prevention team that are responsible for monitoring 1,800 employees. “I see our organisation as a business park housing small SMEs. We offer a range of facilities, including sports facilities, nursing homes, playrooms, meeting centres and more. What’s more, we’re also dealing with a diverse workforce, from blue-collar and white-collar workers to teleworkers. The risks within our organisation vary from sector to sector.”
As a result, the City of Kortrijk has signeda specific contract with IDEWE. IDEWE’s prevention advisor Kristof Deprez comes into the office in Kortrijk for half a day. “I collect all my questions for Kristof each week. We then spend half an hour having an open conversation during which we’ll cover the different situations that happened in the week. Kristof will then look at which IDEWE prevention advisors can help. Subjects may range from electricity and occupational safety to fire risk assessments. It’s useful tohave one contact person who talks tothe experts in a particular field."
We’re focusing on the bottlenecks identified by the wellbeing survey.
Focus on wellbeing survey
At the City of Kortrijk, they pay a lot of attention to wellbeing surveys. After all, happy staff are generally more productive. Nevertheless, a risk assessment has not been carried out in the last five years. And that’s something Bram wants to change.
“IDEWE drew up some questions and our wellbeing coordinator, the HR director and I approved the survey. That survey has now been completed. IDEWE Leuven is currently reviewing the results in partnership with KU Leuven. We’ll roll out the initial results to staff from early December, after which the managers will be informed of the next steps. The survey is not only informative but enables us to plan how to work onthe bottlenecks arising from the results.”
IDEWE’s occupational doctor and prevention advisors for psychosocial wellbeing, Tineke Vanyzere and Fien Denijs, are keeping a close eye on the process.
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IDEWE always provides clear, solution-oriented answers. that are based on the legislation. That’s certainly reassuring.
Excellent service
Bram feels the service he receives from IDEWE is excellent. He receives clear, solution-oriented answers to his questions, and often on the same day. “I’m reassured knowing that the answers are based on the legislation. That also tells me that we’re taking the right approach. Without IDEWE’s support, I admit it would be difficult to do my job thoroughly for each department. You can’t know something about every single subject.”