Marijke van Rijn, manager of the FDP team, is clear: "A smart organisation wants to retain good employees, especially during times of staff shortages, which have been a persistent issue in the childcare sector. The market demands new forms of collaboration." A growing number of childcare professionals value having more control over their own schedules. They want to consciously balance their work with the rest of their lives.
"You can compare it to what we used to call freelancers," Marijke explains. Childcare settings that suddenly need extra staff due to illness or unforeseen circumstances can rely on the FDP team. "They know they are getting skilled professionals who can adapt quickly and are familiar with Partou and our way of working." The system is currently active in a few regions. Most FDP employees are currently working in the Utrecht region, which is beneficial because staff shortages are most acute in this area.
The flexible pedagogical professionals indicate their available hours each week. Partou then matches their availability with the demand from childcare settings. The number of guaranteed contract hours for flexible staff varies from 0 to 36 and is determined in consultation.
Issam Janssen (53) is one of these flexible pedagogical professionals. He worked for sixteen years in Wageningen with a mixed-age group but decided to pursue a different career path in 2012. Recently, he chose to return to childcare. "I have a 36-hour contract, so I work full-time," he explains. "But one week you may have more time to work, while another week you might need more time off. We always find a solution, as long as I complete my contracted hours by the end of the month."
Issam usually plans his availability well in advance. "My partner lives abroad," he explains. "So occasionally, I want to take two weeks off. I compensate for that by working longer hours in the surrounding weeks." Other common reasons for choosing this work style include combining work with studies, providing informal care for parents, or taking care of children. "This way of working forces you to think carefully about your available time and priorities," Issam states. "Especially when working more hours, you need to be mindful of your mental and physical limits and communicate them clearly."
Each flexible worker is assigned to a specific region. This ensures they become familiar with a few childcare settings and the children: "I’m flexible, but it’s nice to work with the same colleagues and children regularly. And having a permanent contract gives you the benefits of job security." He acknowledges that this flexible way of working is not for everyone: "Many people need stability and routine. But I generally handle the unpredictability well. Plus, working at different setting allows me to meet more people. No day is the same, and I learn something new every day."
Currently, around two hundred of Partou’s nine thousand pedagogical staff members work in this way. The FDP team is highly diverse, says manager Marijke van Rijn: "Our employees range in age from 18 to 67 and everything in between. Sometimes, the match between a pedagogical worker and a setting is so strong that they stay in one place for a while. Or, eventually, even transition into a permanent role at that setting."
FDP employees work within a predetermined region: "We don’t measure in kilometres but in travel time. Some people have a car, while others rely on public transport. Employees must be able to reach their assigned location within 45 minutes."
The FDP team has now been in place for over a year, and both employees and Partou are enthusiastic. "It’s a group of highly energetic staff members," Marijke praises. "This innovative approach suits the modern job market, but also Partou’s values. We came up with this idea, and Partou immediately gave us the space to explore whether it could work. It’s great to feel heard and to see that a large organisation is open to team-driven innovations like this."
A commitment to care
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