Werkhuizen MIN
Ludo De Ranter has been the managing director of the social enterprise Werkhuizen MIN for more than twenty years. De MIN employs people with a physical or mental disability. Ludo’s priority as a manager is to ensure people are safe on all levels, be it physically, socially or mentally. “Our staff have already experienced more than enough," says Ludo. “At De MIN they find security, friends and a purpose.”
As managing director, Ludo plays a protective role. “Our policy is to be very approachable. I’m always around people and my door is always open”, he says. De MIN receives support, tips and help from IDEWE’s prevention advisors for their wellbeing policy. They also help Ludo with wellbeing challenges in the workplace.
Our policy is to be very approachable. I’m always around people and my door is always open.
Everyone is happy at De MIN
“Our wellbeing policy starts with Elisabeth De Baere, an occupational doctor and prevention advisor at IDEWE. She visits us three times a year”, explains Ludo. As De MIN only works with people with disabilities, health and wellbeing are important topics. “Dr. De Baere has a deep understanding of our staff. She’s well-attuned to them and always has some lovely words ready for the group.”
Elisabeth also sees that people enjoy working at De MIN through satisfaction rates based on inspections or checks. “We can improve on that as well," explains Ludo. “Fortunately, improvements are possible every year thanks to Elisabeth’s and IDEWE’s expertise.”
Steps towards a smoke-free workplace
“My team and I always keep our fingers on the pulse by having a chat with everyone. Every day”, says Ludo. Sometimes, situations arise in the De MIN team and Ludo has to intervene quickly and decisively. “We also rely on IDEWE’s expertise in such instances.”
“As an example, we wanted to ban smoking in the workplace. Smoking was still permitted in the workplace until a while ago, but not anymore. Times have changed. However, I couldn’t simply ban my staff from smoking from one day to the next. The danger was that people would smoke a cigarette and throw the butt away without thinking. And that would create dangerous situations with all the cardboard we have in-house.”
“Together with IDEWE, we brought in a strategy to reduce smoking. We first informed staff about what was going to happen through flyers and verbal communication. They then gradually reduced their smoking: people only smoked in the afternoon and not in the mornings, and so on until smoking was only permitted in the designated smoking area. IDEWE’s help and expertise were more than welcome in such a complex situation.”
No challenge is too big
“IDEWE applied the same approach to our vaccination campaign," says Ludo. “Our people have weaker immune systems and need greater protection, even if they don’t always realise it. Our successful campaign led to 98% of our employees getting vaccinated.”
IDEWE also shares its expertise in the field of sickness absence with De MIN. “Inactivity due to illness is also an important – and current – topic for us. Occupational doctor Elisabeth De Baere gave an interesting presentation on this subject to the Union Maatwerk Provincie Antwerpen (UMPA), which I chair”, says Ludo. “Elisabeth’s training is positive and constructive. She knows what’s going on in the workplace. That’s why we decided to open the presentation up to all HR departments at social enterprises in Antwerp.”
Our successful campaign led to 98% of our employees getting vaccinated.
“Finally, we can turn to IDEWE’s experts even in the most difficult of situations. Tragically, we’ve had to deal with employees taking their own lives on several occasions. It goes without saying that this has a huge impact on the team”, explains Ludo. “IDEWE’s experts offered us psychosocial support and other solutions to assist with the grieving process. Everyone, from employees to executives, could contact a confidential counsellor for a consultation or further counselling. At times like that, you’re hugely grateful for the professionalism of your partners.”
A lasting impact on wellbeing
“I’m looking forward to a successful collaboration with IDEWE in the future," adds Ludo. The next item on the agenda? “More and more people want to work part-time, including at De MIN. The Covid-19 pandemic changed people’s priorities. Spending time with friends and family is now the most important thing.”
Ludo has already raised this issue with IDEWE. “Together, we’re looking at how we can best tackle this from an organisational perspective. However, if more employees start working part-time, that means we need to hire more people and provide more furniture and protective equipment, for example. That said, I’m convinced we’ll succeed with IDEWE’s help.”
On 17 October 2022, Tom Bridts started work as the new Managing Director. Ludo continued working with Tom until the end of January 2023, at which point he left De MIN in a professional capacity. The collaboration with IDEWE continues under Tom’s leadership.