Quintop took part in a large project of one of the Netherlands most renowned brands, Koninklijke Verkade, in which we worked on a smooth restructuring of the organisation. Our Quintoppers were closely involved throughout the whole project. The client’s and employees’ wishes and needs were the primary focus. Thanks to this mindset and close collaboration with the client, Quintop succeeded in optimally restructuring the organisation for all stakeholders involved.
Essential preparation
Creating an overview is of crucial importance for restructuring. The trajectory is doomed to fail without a good planning and understanding of the coherence between the different process steps. That’s why we started with this and worked out the planning in several business cases. A communication plan, new job profiles and an advisory request have also been drawn up. Preparations have been made for negotiations with the trade unions.
Continuous stakeholder management
During a reorganisation like this there are many different stakeholders. For example, the Works Council, Steering Committee, managers, employees and trade unions should be actively involved. Other parties such as customers and suppliers should be informed. Regular communication is the key word. In particular, regular consultation with the Works Council increases the likelihood of positive advice. Clear alignment with the Steering Committee ensures faster decision making. At Verkade, clear process agreements fostered an open dialogue with trade unions. During the course, the Critical Support Group (CSG) consisting of representatives of top and middle management was also very important. This CSG acted as a sounding board and managed to give critical advice at the right moments. Careful application of continuous stakeholder management was of great, positive influence for the end result.
Efficiency due to experience
After the Works Council approved the advisory application, the relocation process of employees began. By means of interest registration of employees and several types of standards, the future organisation was established. Experience taught us how to make the relocation process as efficient as possible. This reduced the degree and duration of uncertainty among the employees.
Involvement from A-Z
From the start we have worked in very good cooperation with the HR department of Verkade to recognise and deal with resistance. Later, we also practiced interviews and bad news conversations, to which managers and employees responded positively. Moreover, after an extensive selection process we enabled an experienced third party to set up a mobility center with us. The need to supervise redundant employees as closely as possible was central to this. In addition, aftercare is always a challenge for those who have stayed within the organisation. Fortunately, attention is still being paid to this, that’s why we are very satisfied about this trajectory.
The experience and approach Quintop has applied in this assignment can make even the biggest organisational changes a piece of cake.
