Van Dolder resigned as alderman in May last year. A surprise to many, but it turned out that there had been a conflict with the top officials for a long time. In her resignation letter she lashed out strongly. Mistakes would remain without consequences, and power would rest with the top officials. The limit for Van Dolder was reached when a new municipal secretary was first hired for 20,000 euros per month for five months.
Former councilor does not feel safe in the workplace
She no longer felt safe in the workplace, she recently said in an interview. Research agency Berenschot was then deployed to examine the culture at the town hall.
And that report is now public. To the surprise of the former councilor, who sees the investigation through the media. 151 employees completed a questionnaire (65% of the total) and in-depth discussions were held with another 27 people. “But not with me,” says Van Dolder.
While it was her complaints that were investigated. According to the former councilor, civil servants would be in charge. And there was also distrust towards residents and entrepreneurs.
Complaints from former councilors are not recognised
But according to the researchers, that is not the case. “It appears from the interviews that the
conversation partners do not recognize this.” But according to Van Dolder, that falls into the category of the butcher who inspects his own meat.
“Unfortunately, former employees, residents and entrepreneurs have not been heard about this. You can only properly assess the level of service of the official organization if you also listen outside the town hall.”
Although a large proportion of respondents responded positively, that is not the complete picture. It turns out to be an organization with two faces. A pleasant, socially safe working environment, but also a place where there is a lot of unrest.
Reorganization in 2022 will cause problems
The cause is a difficult reorganization in 2022, resulting in high staff turnover and high work pressure. Quite a few interim managers need to be hired. While the hiring of external staff in 2020 was still 500,000 euros, in 2023 it was already 2.4 million euros, according to previous research by NH.
Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 there will be a peak in reports of undesirable behavior and integrity violations. This involves different employees and directors. Action was eventually taken. Including a new code of conduct and a renewed integrity policy.