PEOPLE
At the heart of our organisation are our people. And to be sustainable, every one of us needs equal opportunities to flourish, make meaningful contributions – and be heard and valued.
KPIs
We monitor the following KPIs through the annual Great Place to Work® survey:
- Talent development and retention
- Health and wellbeing
- Inclusion
Sustainable careers
Being open is part of our DNA. Which is why we strive to be truly diverse, equitable and inclusive. And when we recruit, we look for people who share these values.
Our school is stronger when our teams are made up of people from different backgrounds, religions, orientations, identities, nationalities, physical abilities and more. So all qualifying applications are considered equally.
Advertising opportunities
We use recruitment channels that have a broad, diverse reach – such as LinkedIn. And we actively share vacancies and support career progression internally.
Recruitment
Our standardised recruitment processes help to limit bias. We also have standardised approaches to benefits to ensure fairness across the organisation. Benefits are flexible, and include an end-of-year premium and a transport budget. They’re discussed transparently so that new joiners can make the best decisions.
We help colleagues relocating to Belgium to apply for permits, gain residential status – and set up bank accounts.
Career management and mobility
We align salary grades and benefits across different career tracks to enhance transparency and encourage internal mobility. We want to encourage our people to develop their own careers and take leaps within our own organisation.
This means we have a well-defined, transparent process for internal applications. Every colleague can see job descriptions and competency profiles. And we provide coaching and career guidance.
Appraisal
We want our colleagues to live their dream, learn continuously – and take the leap. We have a culture of asking for, giving and receiving continuous, constructive feedback.
We formally evaluate our objectives every six months, giving us a springboard for agreeing new objectives, development areas and applications for promotion.
Talent development and retention
We’re proud to help our people develop and learn in ways that suit their needs.
Colleagues can take part in training – and then use our feedback tool to share their experiences. In addition, all colleagues have a LinkedIn Learning account, and can develop training journeys to support their needs.
Our teams can strengthen their soft skills free of charge with training we offer internally.
Talent development and retention is an important KPI within our sustainability strategy.
Health and wellbeing
Our hybrid working model optimises work-life balance, blending home and office working.
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We want to create the fertile ground for dreams to take root, grow and thrive. Everyone contributes to creating this environment, just as we are all part of, and contribute to, the vibrant atmosphere at our campuses and Vlerick culture. Our culture of trust and flexibility are key to ensuring colleague health and wellbeing.”
— Kirby Van Laere, HR Manager, Vlerick Business School
Physical health and wellbeing
Most of our teams are office or home-based. So in terms of physical health, we focus on encouraging movement and good ergonomics. We provide all the following, free of charge to all colleagues:
And every Spring and Fall, we’re proud to take part in the Pink March – an exciting initiative that encourages colleagues to take 10,000 steps daily.
Mental health and wellbeing
All colleagues know they can contact HR at any time. They give support – as well as interactive training sessions on building mental resilience. We also have a confidential counsellor and provide professional coaching via Securex.
We also support:
And we provide:
We drive DEI through internal training, including an Introduction to DEI, and Cross-cultural awareness and Microaggression workshops.
Inclusion
Disability
Our campuses, lecture theatres, meeting rooms and spaces are almost 100% wheelchair accessible. Our Leuven campus also has Braille stickers, making it accessible for blind and visually impaired people.
Volunteer and charitable activities
Every year, our teams spend an exciting day volunteering. Colleagues spend time working in elderly care homes, psychiatric institutions and nature conservation projects.
We’re extremely proud to have been nominated for the Inclusivity Project at Time4Society’s annual Sustainability Night.
Employee engagement
Vlerick Employee Forum (VEF)
Our VEF committee includes colleagues from across the school who meet every six weeks. They act as a sounding board to share experiences and discuss the needs, worries and interests of colleagues across the school.
They then constructively and positively transform this input into effective policy.
Celebrations
Our We Celebrate team is made up of members of our Sport & Culture forum, VEF, DEI Committee, HR team and other colleagues. They organise exciting events and celebrations to help colleagues get to know each other in an informal setting.
Great Place to Work® survey
Our Great Place to Work® survey covers our school’s performance – and takes place every two years. It lets us know what our colleagues love – and what we could be doing better.
The survey covers management, work and colleagues against the five pillars of the trust index:
- Fairness
- Credibility
- Respect
- Pride
- Camaraderie
All survey answers are anonymous and confidential – and the results are shared transparently.
