We are increasingly working on sustainability

John Beumer and Ben Over both work as HR managers at Etex, a large international manufacturer specialising in innovative building materials. Etex is based in Belgium, but has 12,500 employees in 42 countries. John works at the Eternit division in Goor. For more than a century, Eternit has been producing fibre-cement corrugated sheets for the European agricultural sector to waterproof the roofs of agricultural buildings. Ben works at Etex Building Performance in Delfzijl, which has been producing plasterboard for both dry and wet rooms since 1973.

Sustainability is a broad term, John believes. ‘You can include many topics, from your human resources management to your production processes. At Etex Group, I’ve noticed that we’re working on sustainability on more and more fronts and a clear philosophy is emerging. In doing so, we’re also looking more and more closely at our suppliers’ sustainability policies.’

‘You can compare that process a little bit to a collective agreement negotiation where all stakeholders are at the table, including the unions and the management of Eternit and Etex Building Performance,’ says Remco. ‘Because of the care we took, the process took quite some time, but the result was a widely supported pension solution. To manage expectations, Eternit and Etex Building Performance had expressed a desire for their employees to be involved throughout the process. We did so through collective information sessions, during which we explained the agreements made and were able to establish whether the employees wanted to agree to them.’

Remco also played an important role in communicating the practical impact of the new pension scheme to Eternit and Etex Building Performance employees. ‘Once the formal process was completed, the contracts signed and the final choice of scheme and pension provider had been made, I – along with Ben and John – put a lot of effort into keeping the employees involved.’

‘We organised several workshops about the pension portal,’ John confirms. ‘Those weren’t compulsory, but attendance was strongly recommended. We basically created a buzz simply by repeating what was about to happen. This wasn’t only because people were curious, but also because the average age here is relatively high and so many people are relatively close to retirement. The turnout was therefore very high.’

‘In these portal training sessions, our employees were taken by the hand in an approachable and practical way,’ Ben says. ‘Among other things, they were told about their personal online pension environment Mijn NN Inkomen Later, and shown how to activate their account. In My NN Inkomen Later, employees can gain an insight into such things as their pension and related investments.’

‘Our joint efforts have paid off,’ says John. ‘As an example, a high percentage of employees have created an account. They’re much more engaged with their pension scheme now. I’m therefore very pleased with the cooperation with Montae & Partners and Nationale-Nederlanden. Look, in the old pension scheme, our employees were taken care of. As a result, the scheme may have been a bit of a mystery to them.

The new scheme needed explanation and required some effort from our employees. In this regard, Montae & Partners and Nationale-Nederlanden played a positive role. For example, our people were very pleasantly helped by Nationale-Nederlanden’s help desk when they needed assistance.’

To continue bringing pensions to the attention of employees, it has been agreed that communication about pensions will become a regular part of the services Montae & Partners provide to the Etex Group. Remco: ‘We’re continuously involved and proactively present at logical moments, specifically to highlight pensions and the choices that can be made in the process.

For instance, we familiarise new employees with the pension scheme and we invite employees who reach the age of 60 to an early pension interview. Naturally, we also offer support when employees actually retire. At the end of the day, that’s what we do it for.’

The new pension scheme contributes to the financial well-being of employees, John believes. ‘Indeed, compared to the previous scheme, they now have more control over their pension accrual. Thanks to the partnership with Montae & Partners and Nationale-Nederlanden, they receive excellent guidance.’

‘But there’s something else,’ says John. ‘In fact, our employees contribute to sustainable entrepreneurship because their pension premiums are invested responsibly. As a matter of fact, Nationale-Nederlanden adheres to a discerning investment policy. It wants to invest as sustainably and greenly as possible while generating solid returns for pension scheme members. Moreover, Nationale-Nederlanden looks at the life stage of our employees and offers them the opportunity and assistance to reduce investment risks as they approach retirement age. This way, you avoid a possible dip in your pension capital just before you retire. This all fits well with our sustainability philosophy.’