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FRIGO: HOW WE DEAL WITH CONSCIOUS MOBILITY DEFINITELY ENSURES ATTRACTIVE EMPLOYMENT
Interview with Erik Janse, Business Development Director from Frigo Breda (co-owners Easyfresh)
Free translation from Dutch
Frigo has warehouses (in Breda and Moerdijk) with a capacity of 50,000 pallets where about 260 trailers can be loaded and unloaded every day. These pallets are transported in containers, which are transported to the destination by road or shipping. In almost a quarter of a century, Frigo has grown into a company with more than 100 colleagues and a storage capacity of more than 85,000 pallets. We spoke to Erik Janse, a Business Development Director responsible for the operation of these warehouses.
"'UNWRITTEN" RULES
MONO-business stands for safer, smarter and more sustainable on the road. How do you ensure that you travel safely?
"Realize that as Frigo we have a company where everyone still knows each other. This also gives us a culture that is accessible and where we address each other. This means that the number of incidents, fingers crossed of course, is very clear. Fortunately, this is limited to some parking damage where posts or other vehicles have been overlooked. And we would like to keep it that way. That is why, for example, we do not accept team meetings while driving. And that also applies to our contractors. We often work with smaller, well-organized family businesses that have drivers with long employment contracts. Drivers who are really involved in their profession and know the importance of road safety. The fact that we are rarely or never called by other road users that there are abuses with a Frigo container says enough, I think. These are unwritten rules that fit our pragmatic culture of 'this is how we do things together."
SUSTAINABLE ACCESSIBILITY
And how do you ensure that Frigo travels smarter?
"Our staff can roughly be divided into two categories: office staff, approximately 40 to 45 people, and colleagues who work in the warehouses, approximately 60 people. It is of course essential that they are physically present for the work of the second group. We offer our office colleagues a lot of freedom: after all, it is about the work that needs to be done. This can often be done independently of place and time. And we also encourage that: people can start between 6 and 9 a.m. And of course if they want to . We don't want them to sit in traffic jams unnecessarily. Avoiding rush hour is certainly something we encourage. This also applies to hybrid working."
MORE BETTING ON ELECTRIC BICYCLES
I understand that you people mainly come to work by their own transport and not by public transport?
"Public transport is actually not a real option for us - given our locations. I estimate that less than five percent of our colleagues frequently use public transport. On the other hand, the electric bicycle is certainly interesting. About a quarter by bicycle, we want to significantly increase the 'market share' of the bicycle compared to the car (currently 70 percent) in the coming years. We will also set up an incentive scheme for speed pedelecs, for example."
SUSTAINABILITY IS AN IMPORTANT CORE VALUE!
In addition to safety and accessibility, does sustainability also play an important role within your company?
"It goes without saying that a relatively young company like Frigo also wants to create a sustainable image on all fronts. This also applies to our mobility. That is why all our company cars, approximately 15 of them, have been electric for the past year or two. In addition, all our warehouses are equipped with solar panels. We even have an application for a wind turbine - which takes a little more time in terms of permits than expected. We also pay as much attention as possible to the distance between where people live and where they work - We prefer the so-called 'tour around the church'. Especially now that our location in Moerdijk will soon be operational, we ask people to work there if it also has significant advantages in their commute."
ATTRACTIVE EMPLOYMENT
Does the way you deal with conscious mobility (safer, smarter and more sustainable on the road) ensure that you are seen as an attractive employer by (potential) employees?
"Yes! It is certainly true - and we also notice this - that there is a relationship between the way in which our mobility policy is set up and our attractiveness as an employer. This is also how we can distinguish ourselves. Because you realize that the current tightness in the labor market It will not get any better in the coming years. As an employer, we also have to make more effort to attract people or retain them longer. The way in which business travel is organized can help us with this!"
