An employee wanted to purchase a dog from the so-called “Budget Vital”. An amount of money made available by an employer to employees to improve their health. This led to a lot of discussion, was the budget really for that? Entrepreneur Pepijn thinks so.
Three years ago, 34-year-old Pepijn Louisse started his company ‘Aanpakkers’. With this, it helps companies in a practical way to get the best out of their employees. With a Vitality Budget, activities and resources can be used to improve employee health.
“We always help companies make their employees more vibrant, so they can bring out the best in themselves,” says Pepin. “We do this by talking to managers, finding out what is going on in the workplace and what kind of solutions can help. Then we apply that.”
Part of this is what is called a dynamic budget. Pepijn recently worked with a company where an employee wanted to buy a dog on a budget. The HR consultant and the manager had doubts, and a discussion ensued. “The employee felt his energy leak,” Pippen wrote on LinkedIn.
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Less stress and more exercise
“When I heard someone wanted to buy a budget Vitality dog, I just thought: How beautiful! Why not?” says Pippen. “If it makes someone fitter or more productive, it just seems like a good idea to me.” However, the company thought otherwise. “The idea of an employee almost went down the drain.”
But according to Pepijn, buying a dog in particular is a good way to spend your vitality budget. “The dog has a great influence on the working atmosphere. For example, the animal ensures less stress, more exercise and more understanding of each other.”
Pepijn himself noticed this when he brought his dog into the office. “I often see people leaving their work to pet the dog. Plus, it’s a good time to call each other. It really creates a positive atmosphere,” says Pippen.
wink at companies
Pepijn shared his story about this on linkedinBecause he thinks it’s an important topic. His post has now been viewed a million times and has sparked many positive reactions. The working Netherlands faces a number of major challenges. In many sectors, there is a staffing shortage and you hear regularly that people are experiencing stress and complaints of burnout,” says Pepin.
My message is a little corporate nod: If you know what’s going on on the ground, you can prevent people from falling into stress and burnout complaints. You can do this, among other things, by allowing employees to think for themselves what they need to do in order to be able to do their work healthily and with pleasure. Choosing a dog on a budget is simply a case in point.
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