CSR solutions for housing corporation

Problem: The underlying interdependence of a housing corporation and its rapidly grown maintenance company (in terms of FTEs) meant that management was not financially transparent and less effective.

Solution: attorney Edgar Hennis organised a number of sessions with key people in the housing corporation, whereby it became possible to identify pitfalls and traps with precision.  We could then arrive at concrete, feasible solutions in terms of powers, responsibilities, internal communication and supervision at board and management level. We moreover presented new working methods for the underlying contractual relations (and thus the underlying liabilities in force) of the housing corporation and its maintenance company, and ultimately with regard to the work position of employees, relations with the works council and the collective bargaining agreement in force. We therefore proposed, in accordance with the desire that the bonus scheme should be more individually oriented, the following: the illness bonus had lowered the absenteeism and brought about a change in behaviour. The illness bonus must now primarily prevent that employees report sick too easily for one day. A suitable means to counter this is to introduce waiting periods. The disadvantage of this is that honest employees are “affected” and a short illness is sometimes drawn out. The adverse effects can be corrected in a general bonus scheme by rewarding employees for loyalty – or actually not rewarding them.

Result: all the recommended solutions were adopted and implemented by the housing corporation. Significant improvements have been reported on all indicators.