Democo Group has just been named one of the ‘Best workplaces 2021’ in the large category, during the ‘Best Workplaces in Belgium’ award show held by the Great Place to Work Institute, in cooperation with Vlerick Business School. “While we’re pleased with this award, we are even more pleased that our employees themselves say that they enjoy coming to work every day. They are and will remain the foundation of our company,” says Philip Demot, Managing Director of Democo Group.
Last year, Democo Group and all its companies – AEW, AEW Security, Ciril, Daeninck & Deweerdt, Deholi, Democo, Demtec Services, and Vandenbriele – received their very first Great Place to Work label, an initiative to reward employers who focus on high job satisfaction. The fact that, one year later, we are also jointly awarded ‘Best Workplace in Belgium 2021’ (large companies) is a welcome surprise.
“Being a good employer is about much more than just working conditions or facilities. The working atmosphere, collegiality, trust, honesty, and how proud employees are to work in a company are equally important. To this end, everyone in the Democo Group has made strong efforts in recent years, which are now clearly bearing fruit. That makes us particularly proud.” —Philip Demot, Managing Director of Democo Group.
Live, play, and grow together
The reason this company is the best place is mainly due to numerous initiatives in terms of open communication, thorough training, and relaxing together.
The ‘Democollege’, a training centre where employees can follow a wide range of courses and where they can develop themselves further, stood out in particular. In addition to work-related matters, Democo Group also wants to offer its employees the opportunity to relax together. It also set up DemoGo, a platform on which any employees who want to do something athletic can find each other.
“In addition, we also work very hard on open communication. We constantly share (work) experiences with each other, regularly showcase employees, and always thoroughly explain why we are doing something and what we are trying to achieve. This all contributes to a high level of involvement and a sense of pride. Ultimately, this also leads to good business results and the realisation of great projects. It goes without saying that we will continue to strive for even better communication.” —Rudy Houben, Director of Democo Group.
High job satisfaction
The fact that Democo Group values a family atmosphere and scores highly in terms of job satisfaction is also very visible. No less than 150 of the 800 employees have been working for the Democo Group for more than 25 years.
“The fact that employees have stuck with us for so long is the best proof that it is pleasant to work here. It’s quite difficult to retain talent for a long time, especially in the construction industry. Being recognised as one of the best employers is a good boost for our recruitment policy.” —Ilse Claes, HR Director of Democo Group.