Elicio holds employee wellbeing at its core
19 April 2022
In each issue of its ‘Ondernemers’ magazine, VOKA presents one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. For edition #7, VOKA selected Elicio as the best example for SDG 3: ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing.
Energy producer Elicio holds employee wellbeing at its core
Ostend-based energy producer Elicio’s focus is totally on wind energy. Next to their green core activity, Elicio subscribes to plenty of sustainability initiatives. Especially the focus on employee wellbeing jumps out: employees are allowed to take their dog to work, can call on psychosocial support and several projects towards improving employee involvement have been launched.
Elicio was founded in 2014. For about 8 years now, they have been solely engaged in wind turbines. In that time, they have built 37 wind parks, in Belgium, France, Serbia and the North Sea, with a total capacity of 573 MW. Elicio also takes on the operations management of these wind parks: “We always have lots going on regarding sustainability projects”, explains Joeri Vanbelle of Elicio. “We do not just want to sell a sustainable product, we want to be sustainable.”
What is most striking is their employee wellbeing policies. In total, Elicio employs 70 people, of which 36 in Belgium, in the Ostend office. “Elicio is active in a hugely interesting but very competitive sector, which means in many instances you depend on variables employees at times have no handle on”, continues Vanbelle. “The run time of a project, from start to completion, might in some cases be as long as 8 years. That is not easy for a project team member. By offering customised psychosocial support, we aim to lower the mental threshold for mental care; which doesn’t even have to be work-related. As long as such support has a positive effect on our people’s performance, we are open to any trajectory.”
Fresh air
What started as an idea of a couple of employees has now resulted in dogs being allowed at work. “There is at our site a kennel in which the dogs can stay in the daytime, so they can enjoy each other’s company. Over lunch, employees can take their dog for a walk – and get some fresh air themselves that way.”
Every year, Elicio embarks on a 3-day trip with all colleagues. “That trip is unique, an event everyone looks forward to. Time for chats, to get to know each other, to share tips and tricks… to create a bond and improve team spirit. To create a feeling of being part of a family, which in turn gives way to a sense of responsibility and involvement.”
Even in and around the office building, sustainability prevails. An elevated birdhouse for the common kestrel has been placed as well as hedgehog hideaways. For the building’s maintenance, Elicio has chosen for projects focused on sustainable employment.
You can read the (original) article here.
