PREFACE: BEYOND THE SELF-EVIDENT

Re-thinking means going beyond the self-evident. It involves approaching reality with an open mind and creatively dealing with this reality. Thinking outside the box to recognise and break systemic thinking patterns. Re-thinking is a reflection process that facilitates change on a personal and professional level.

Last summer, I benefitted from this myself. By re-thinking, I learned to enjoy travelling in a new way. The first ‘electric’ trip to our holiday destination started out as challenging and complex – not to mention the transition to a more compact car in the same price class. However, the change turned out to be a quite pleasant travel experience. Several stop-overs gave us time to stretch our legs, have an extra coffee and chat or look for the best charging spot together … It felt like travelling from the very first minute.

In this issue, a few strong interviewees question some ideas that are taken for granted. The interviews with Deborah about mourning and grief at work, with Emmanuelle about time for inclusive dialogue and with Guy about working after the age of 65 make us re-consider ideas that seemed self-evident. They provide us with some interesting insights. For instance, you will read that inclusion is a question of dialogue and taking time to listen to the voice of those who often remain unheard. Inclusion allows your brain to avoid prejudices. That is quite a challenge in a performance-oriented working environment where time has become scarce.

The young entrepreneurs who feature in this issue also opt for innovative and  ground-breaking solutions. Their confidence in their employees is reflected in a fully transparent wage policy. In a region where talking about how much you earn still is taboo, that’s saying something. For employees who, due to the wide range of systems of bonuses and benefits, rarely know what will be on their payslip at the end of the month, a transparent wage formula seems feasible after all.

With the stories in this magazine, we want to give you as well as the voluntary staff representatives the hopeful message that things can be done differently. And even better. By listening to new ideas with an open mind and engaging in a dialogue about points for improvement, solutions become conceivable you may not have thought of before. This way, we make a an even better workplace possible together. Your ideas are welcome!