No Digital First without People First
2023
QUANT cultivates its sustainable and people-focused corporate culture
Due to the global corona pandemic, digitalisation has taken off. As a result, a lot of companies have completely embraced technology and switched to a Digital-First organisation. QUANT is also part of this. Indeed, we guide companies to put their Digital-First strategy into practice. But that does not mean we have forgotten our core: our employees. On the contrary. In our organisation, people are central. In this article, we elaborate on the various initiatives we have taken, and are still taking, to further strengthen this principle.
People-oriented working environment
Since 2022, QUANT has moved into a new office building. And its layout is completely tailored to the wishes and needs of our colleagues. From ergonomic sit-stand desks to a relaxation area with a pool table and darts board: all are a result of the input provided by our employees. The darts board in particular was a hit 😉 Colleagues now organise competitions among themselves. Most even bought their own darts already. Just to show how much this resonates with our people.
Attention to psychosocial well-being
Before the move, we had also inquired about the psychosocial well-being of our employees. Our colleagues could participate, completely voluntarily, in the psychosocial audit organised by the experts of our external service for prevention and protection at work, MENSURA. And this was eagerly taken up. More than 70% took part in the audit, which provided a lot of interesting insights about o We then used these insights to get to work. So we created a portal where colleagues can find all company news, procedures, policies, documents.... The portal also contains the QUANT Way finder, the go-to tool for the smooth onboarding of new employees.
We then used these insights to get to work. So we created a portal where colleagues can find all company news, procedures, policies, documents.... The portal also contains the QUANT Way finder, the go-to tool for the smooth onboarding of new employees.
We have also redesigned our annual kick-off meeting: figures are no longer the focus, each team leader gets the floor to share experiences and achievements of each team, and emphasis is placed on the ins and outs of the company.
Bottom-Up decision-making
As the examples above indicate, there is a lot of room within QUANT for employees to share their thoughts and ideas. This bottom-up culture really lives throughout the organization, even outside anchor moments such as a move or an audit. For example, at the suggestion of some colleagues, QUANT switched from a 38-hour work week to a 40-hour work week, which gave employees extra RWH (Reduction of Working Hours) days.
Work-life balance
QUANT understands that a comfortable work-life balance is crucial for its employees' satisfaction and productivity. That is why, since 2014, we have also offered our employees complete freedom to work from home. A system that works very well within our organization. Soon, this will soon also be possible from abroad.
In order to still maintain team cohesion with such individual freedom, we organize regularly meetings and informal gatherings, such as the monthly Happy Lunch, which employees look forward to. Moreover, every team gets a budget to meet up with colleagues outside office hours, which further nurtures team spirit and increases commitment within our organization.
A People-First company with a sustainable heart
Our caring also has an ecological side. We have numerous green initiatives through which we want to contribute to a more livable world for our people. Just think of the solar panels on the roof of our new office building, and the conversion of our company car fleet to 100% electric cars.
Moreover, our People-First focus goes beyond just our own people. We also look at the world around us, and want to have a positive impact there too. One of the ways we do this is by cooperating with Digital4Youth, a non-profit organisation that donates our used computers to schools at home and abroad, so that schoolchildren get all the digital opportunities they deserve.
And the IT material that is not usable is collected from us by recycling company MIREC. They recover and recycle the valuable raw materials and ensure that they can be reused in the production of new devices.
In short, as a Digital-First organisation, QUANT continues to put people first.
This is confirmed by MENSURA, which recognises us as one of the best students in the class in terms of well-being at work. Moreover, the fact that 60% of our employees have been with us for more than 10 years shows that QUANT values long-term relationships.