The exodus at the municipalities of De Wolden and Hoogeveen continued last year. In 2020, the collaborative organization (SWO) De Wolden Hoogeveen led the list of municipalities in Drenthe in terms of turnover. In that year, a record 46 civil servants left their employers at their own request. Last year there were 38.
In 2021, the collaborative organization De Wolden Hoogeveen had 126 vacancies out of a total of 739 full-time jobs, which is 15 percent of the workforce. By dividing the work differently and by temporary hiring, 27 vacancies were canceled last year. In 2022, there are still 88 vacancies, which is more than 10 percent of the workforce.
High working pressure
Because vacancies were not filled, the workload increased. The two-man leadership of the SWO, Jelmer Mulder for Hoogeveen and Roelof Pieter Koning for De Wolden, acknowledges that the workload for the existing team has been high in recent times. “Municipalities often have no choice not to carry out certain activities,” they say in a written statement.
According to the management of the SWO, the services, such as issuing passports, collecting waste and providing benefits, will continue as usual. “Problems are often temporarily resolved by recruiting interim staff. Together we maintain the service.”
Money left
Because there were 126 vacancies, the cooperation organization was left with 2.4 million euros in unspent personnel costs last year. That is 4 percent of the total of 55 million euros in personnel costs.
A manager who has since left, who does not want to be named because of his current position, thinks it is bad that this money has been left behind. “It was money for dozens of people who were not there. But the work has simply been done. It is a shame that this was allowed to happen. They did not ensure that the right people were brought in.”
Longer waiting for permit
Most vacancies were in the services and physical environment department, which includes spatial planning. A departed policy officer, who also wishes to remain anonymous in view of his current position, has noticed that permit applications are being piled up. “Some departments were unmanned. The waiting times increased. In the end you fall through a lower limit. My advice would therefore be to invest in people, that is your capital. That has not happened enough before.”
The former manager notes that the SWO De Wolden Hoogeveen does not have the time to develop with so many vacancies. “To compete with Assen and Emmen you have to be at the front. Now only the primary tasks are performed. But it is just like with a car: at a certain point you are sidelined.”
According to the former policy officer, the high number of vacancies is a signal. “At the SWO you are in scale 10/11 for a managerial position and in Emmen and Assen you are in scale 12/13 for a policy position. Perhaps you should take a step in that direction to be a more attractive employer.”
Cultural differences remain
But it’s not just about the salary, the former manager thinks. “It is also about the working environment, opportunities and stability. If people can choose from Emmen or De Wolden Hoogeveen, then it is clear. Emmen offers a much more stable environment that directly focuses on staff, without an intermediate layer in between. people employed by the SWO. They have to supply two colors and then it becomes a bit gray. Mixing the colors. Not everyone who works for the SWO is happy with the uniformity of policy, because tailoring is becoming more difficult.”
According to the former policy officer, the cultural differences within the SWO also contribute to civil servants switching to another municipality or consultancy firm earlier. Time is the friend of the SWO there. “There are people who suffer from old soreness. They have done their work in their own way for 30 to 40 years and are no longer always willing to change. In the long run, they will leave the organization automatically. Through turnover comes fresh blood and That’s good because new people don’t know that history.”
As far as the former manager is concerned, the SWO must be disentangled immediately in the interests of the residents. “Collaboration in the field of social domain and ICT is already happening in other municipalities. On a policy level, collaboration is more difficult. Hoogeveen and De Wolden have given up their identity. A new identity has come in between. The goals of the merger – better quality, lower cost and less fragility – has not been lived up to in any way.”
SWO not unbraided
The interim municipal secretary of De Wolden, Vanessa Gosselink, who has since left, has investigated whether dismantling the SWO would be an option and came to the conclusion that it was not feasible. “The administrators and municipal councils of both municipalities continue to believe in it,” says the former manager.
The new management is faced with the task of further developing the SWO. City officials do not want to comment on that now. “After seven years of SWO, it is a logical moment to look at where we stand and how we are doing, also in the context of changes in society. (…) We can tell more about this in the autumn”, so say Roelof Pieter Koning and Jelmer Mulder in a written response.
The former manager says he hopes that after the seven lean years, the seven fat years will now begin. “Both board members are dyed in the wool and that offers perspective for the future. I have high expectations that things will improve.”