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български 27 February 2021
February 27th, probably not a date that you immediately associate with any particular event. And yet this is a date that has changed the life of almost every person in The Netherlands and beyond. Today it is exactly 1 year ago that the first corona infection was established in the Netherlands. Perhaps it is a good thing that we did not know at the time how long this pandemic would last, because then it would probably have been even more difficult for many of us to deal with. A lot has changed for everyone, both in the private situation and in the field of work. We would like to discuss with you what has changed for us as an employment agency in transport and for our employees.
Influence on transport
The fact that transport and logistics are of great importance to the Dutch economy and society became clear soon after the first contamination. The profession of truck driver was declared as a vital profession. Its vital importance is based on the crucial role that transport plays in the food chain. This includes supplying supermarkets, the industry that processes and transports food, but also collecting products from farmers and supplying feed for the animals and other raw materials. One third of the flow of goods is transported by road.
Fortunately, some of the work carried out by our drivers could be continued as usual. Unfortunately, other modes of transport, such as catering distribution, which did not require any supply due to the lockdown, were discontinued.
The port of Rotterdam has also been hit hard. Normally this is the place where many goods from China enter our country, but less production has taken place in China because factories had to close, far fewer containers are now arriving here. This also affects our employees who normally drive in the port of Rotterdam.
Influence on the road
For our drivers, things have changed regularly over the past year. We are therefore proud that they are flexible every time and go along with the changes.
At the beginning of last year, people in the Netherlands started "hoarding". This was putting even more pressure on the shoulders of hard-working drivers. During these long working days of up to 15 hours, it was almost impossible for them to use the sanitary facilities or to take a break on location. A large number of truck stops are no longer accessible and drivers have to make a different interpretation of their rest time than they did before.
All countries in Europe have taken (different) measures to minimize the risk of the virus spreading. This means that there are different measures in each country that our colleagues must take into account and they always need carry the correct papers to declare that they have to cross the border for crucial reasons. One consequence of the closure of national borders is an enormous waiting time, which means that goods arrive at their destination with a delay.
Many truck stops are also closed. In combination with the curfew, this makes it difficult to use sanitary facilities or to buy something to eat or drink. Fortunately, many drivers are creative with this.
Influence on the temporary employment industry
The corona virus has consequences for many sectors, including the temporary employment industry. In some sectors it is much busier than usual, while work is at a standstill in others. The corona virus has major consequences for many temporary workers. But in this hard time it is the temporary employment sector that can also make the difference.
For example, the municipality of The Hague has started a large-scale collaboration with employment agencies to help new unemployed people back to work as soon as possible due to the corona crisis.
The ABU writes the following about this: “The municipality expects an increase in the number of jobseekers of almost 10% in the coming period. “We expect a considerable increase in the number of social assistance applications, especially from self-employed people, young people and people who worked in the cultural sector and the catering industry,” says Alderman Bert van Alphen (Work and Income) of the Municipality of The Hague. “We want to anticipate quickly to ensure that these people with recent work experience can get back to work as quickly as possible in sectors where there are many vacancies. Temporary employment agencies can quickly place them again. ” This is just one of many examples showing that employment agencies can make a difference right now.
Nowadays it offers great advantages to work with an employment agency, but also to work at an employment agency. We are happy to explain this to you.
Working at an employment agency
When you work for an employment agency, you have the great advantage that the employment agency works together with several clients. Will your work at one employer end soon? Then there is a good chance that you can be placed on a project with another employer. So you don't have to actively look for a new job yourself. This way you will never be without work and you can immediately start working at another job. Because you are already working for the employment agency, everything has already been arranged administratively. You have a contract with the employment agency and you can start working for another client with the same contract!
Collaborate with an employment agency
Temporary employment agencies support entrepreneurs in times when there is a need for extra staff, but also offer flexible solutions so that the right decisions can be made in the field of personnel in difficult situations. It is nice if as an entrepreneur you are not alone on issues such as "When and how can I best scale up and down?".
By working together with an employment agency you will be supported as a company in the field of employment practices. On the one hand, flexible contracts can be offered in a form that your company cannot offer itself and on the other hand, as soon as the amount of work picks up again, you will be helped with the influx of new staff. Moreover, an employment agency takes care of the administrative burden. If it is decided to cooperate with an employment agency, the employment agency is the legal employer of the employees and thus bears the responsibility for these employees.
Temporary work is important. For people, companies and for the Netherlands. It offers the flexibility that companies so desperately need now, also in transport! The ABU made a nice video about this, showing the perspective that agency work offers (unfortunately this video is only available in Dutch).