‘Starting from scratch’, is how Alrik Boonstra describes the intensive process that started in the spring of last year. After the takeover of Landal GreenParks by industry peer Roompot, the goal was to merge both organizations. The first priority was to properly manage the new design of both the organization and the remuneration policy. Starting with the offices, where a total of approximately nine hundred people work across Europe. Boonstra was assisted in both processes by Highberg.
The first question was what the ideal head office organization of the number 1 player in Europe should look like. This was followed by practical steps: redesigning the blueprint and all functions, setting up the job structure, merging the organizations and reorganizing on a European scale. And then the remuneration part still had to come. Boonstra: ‘We examined all Dutch employment conditions and developed a philosophy that fits our vision, mission and purpose. What kind of company do we want to be now that we have merged? Our goal is to distinguish ourselves in the labor market as the best employer in the sector and thus become a real magnet for talent.’
Complex job
It was a complex task to harmonise two very different employment conditions packages into one new package for the Dutch organisation. Roompot emerged from a family business and had a somewhat less elaborated remuneration policy than Landal, according to Boonstra. ‘Roompot is a down-to-earth and enterprising organisation that is close to the holiday parks. With that culture, the company has been super successful over the past ten years. Landal was somewhat more structured in terms of HR instruments. You have a slightly stronger office feeling there, also when you look at the employment conditions.’
A completely new, transparent and flexible policy was designed to build the ‘organisation of the future’. This was followed by consultation with the Works Council, the necessary technical calculations and the elaboration on an individual basis. ‘Parts may change, but at the end of the day, it must of course retain the same total value for individual employees’, according to Boonstra.
Ontwikkeling HR-team
According to Boonstra, the biggest challenge was the short timeframe. The reorganization and harmonization were implemented in just nine months, from strategy to the final letter. Highberg played a major role in this, according to the CHRO. “Highberg is supporting us with several consultants and has been able to scale up capacity when necessary and down when possible. They are truly doing this project with us, not for us. The internal team is leading, and the Highberg team fits seamlessly with that. Similarly, it was the managers who, under the guidance of Highberg and HR, evaluated the roles of their teams. This was very important, because we want to use this process to further develop our line managers and our HR team; we are learning a great deal from this. We expect to grow rapidly in the coming years and continue to change. We need this skill set within the organization.”
Because the pace needed to move, Boonstra also found it helpful that Highberg could contribute best practices from the market. “If you want to move quickly, it’s not helpful to have to reinvent the wheel.” You want to be able to say: give me the wheel that best fits this cart. Or name three, and we’ll choose the best one.’ This was done in close collaboration with the HR team, the board of directors, and owner KKR, who was involved in the integration through the supervisory board.
Major changes
For the employees of the offices, the changes are drastic, Boonstra realizes. That is why a lot of attention has been paid to communication. ‘Many colleagues are confronted with all kinds of changes and especially in a very short time. In such a process, you have to take everyone with you step by step. That is extremely important and also exciting.’ Together with the consultants of Highberg, various information sessions and walk-in consultations were first organized and then individual employment conditions proposals were made to employees. In the meantime, everyone in the Netherlands has a new employment contract, in the new legal entity.
The ambition is therefore to be the favorite employer in the sector. What is needed for that? Boonstra: ‘What people want is an organization with a goal and a position in which they can develop themselves, with clear career paths. Furthermore, good, market-conform remuneration is important, as is an inspiring and coaching manager. So you also have to work on the quality of leadership and on culture. We actually do that at the same time, because speed is very important in our sector.’
A party
Once this transformation phase is behind us, construction can begin. Boonstra: ‘The new organisation of the offices helps to shape the growth and development of our company in the future. It feels like a sprint now, but ultimately it is of course a marathon that we run with all our colleagues. That requires a lot.’
First, actions will follow to position the Roompot & Landal GreenParks brand well in the (international) labour market. With the presence in various European countries, the workforce is becoming increasingly international, which is also interesting for attracting talent. Boonstra: ‘I have worked in many different sectors myself. As soon as I arrived here, I noticed what a fun and cheerful sector this is. Everyone is so strongly focused on giving the guests an unforgettable holiday. You can also see that atmosphere in the office.’ Boonstra himself has stayed at the holiday parks many times in the past year, sometimes privately and sometimes for business meetings. ‘That is always a party. You feel that that is where it really happens.’
