Binding & engaging with an inspiring organisational model

High absenteeism and a very tight labour market. That is the dominant image in the healthcare sector. Altrio Home Nursing, which is mainly active in Flanders, was able to escape this malaise. The company again managed to attract many new good people in 2022. We take on all coordinating tasks, so that the employees can focus on what really counts: providing care to patients.’

Responding to a ‘pixelated workforce’

At the end of 2022, Altrio had more than 800 employees, once again a growth of approximately 15%. Absenteeism is also low: 2.5% compared to a national average of 13%. According to CEO Jochem Martens, the good ‘report card’ is thanks to the organisational model his company uses. ‘Altrio operates differently than other healthcare providers. We unite independent nurses into one independent home nursing service.

Altrio fully responds to the arrival of the pixelated workforce, with the United States as a shining example. Jochem: ‘In the US, more than 50% of people under the age of 35 already work as freelancers in various jobs. They themselves choose to go from workplace to workplace, to gain different experiences. As Altrio, we’re embracing this trend, with a new, hip and inspiring organisational model. For example, our training days do not take place in a back room, but in a discotheque or a football stadium where, in addition to keynote speakers, there is also a DJ that bangs out tunes afterwards.’

Movement of lucky charms

In an organisation with self-employed people, it is important to bring people together, says Jochem. Altrio has several community initiatives that keep the enthusiasm, pace and feeling high. There is a family day and there are numerous networking events. Under the name AltrioSki, groups of employees - at their own expense - go skiing in Schladming. And with AltrioSummer, employees go to Ibiza together. Altrio also does things differently in marketing than others. The campaign ‘lucky charms’ shows what drives the employees: ensuring care, connection and ‘gusto’ every day. ‘Altrio is a movement of lucky charms’, says Jochem. ‘The campaign is organised bottom-up. We work with decentralised coordination points, with a coordinator managing a care neighbourhood, with 12 to 18 nurses all close to the patient. Each team gets a budget of ‘lucky charms’ that they can spend freely through our marketing platform. This allows the teams to fund local initiatives themselves and bring happiness to patients through autonomy and creativity. And that happiness goes beyond regular care. The budget can also be very well spent on, for example, pancake days or the theatre.’