4
Licensing agreement
called off
Beer can with
non-removable
ring pull
in Holland
some 200 of themThe personnel
has been managed by Mr.(Ij. Kuhlman
B^^IKErS B II^Ib*' mÊ It**-
part Ot tne worloMiriam van de Laan. Mr. G. Kuhlman, head of the I.P.D., is on the extreme right of the photo on the front cover.
Method of work
Conditions of employment
Computer
Personnel department for expatriate
employees -n \jg jy
nprsnnnpl rnncnltant is rpsnnnsihlp for hie own snprifir Backrow, from left to right: Piet van Baarle, Harry van Kints (both working in remuneration systems) and René Kolpa, personnel
r P consultant. His three colleagues are seated at the table and are (from left to right) :Jan van derVeen, Hugo de Haas van Dorsser and
The International Personnel
Department is a fascinating
place to work in because of
its highly diverse activities. Its duties
are much more wide-ranging than
many people would expect of a
personnel department. Examples of
some of its activities are: making
arrangements for journeys, visas,
work permits, determining pay levels,
social security, agreeing on the mode
of payment with the recipient
company, laying down the conditions
of employment, etc.
The I.P.D. is not only fascinating
because of the wide diversity in its
duties, but also because of the
relatively large numbers of employees
who are sent out to a foreign country.
This is one of the reasons why it is
difficult to carry out the activities
according to a fixed plan. For
instance, there may be unannounced
visits by expatriates, or the work may
entail researching and finding a
solution to all sorts of queries from
expatriates.This means that high
demands are made on the
department's talent for improvisation
The services of the IP. Dare called in
at an early stage. Even when the
secondment of an employee to
another country is still being
considered, the I.P. D. is already
making preparations. After the
definitive decision an entire flood of
activities is set in motion. "First of all
the employee is given information
about the country in which he is to
work. Not only the employee is
informed, but his family are also
briefed in detail. The wife or husband
usually also comes along to the
information briefings to get to know
about the country and its customs, to
pick up information about the
country's politics and culture and how
to adapt best to the situation there",
explains Mr. Kuhlman.
Then the employee attends a crash
course lasting only a very short time (2
to 3 weeks) to learn the language that
is spoken in the relevant country. "The
company language is English, but you
can't expect French-speaking people
in Africa suddenly to start talking
English" .The whole family also has to
pass a medical examination.The type
of check-up depends on the country
they are heading for.
The I.P.D. also takes care of
applications for residence and work
permits. In some countries it takes
quite some time before such permits
are issued. "There have been cases
where someone had to postpone his
departure seven times because the
required permits had still not been
granted", says Mr. Kuhlman.
The expatriate's package of
employment conditions is extensive.
The way in which the conditions and
arrangements are applied also
depends on the country concerned, on
the location and on the business to
which the employee is seconded.
Personal circumstances also play a
role. Mr. Kuhlman picks up a hefty
manual which has just been compiled
in draft form by Corporate Social
Affairs and which lists all the
arrangements. Flundreds of pages
filled with employment conditions,
rules and arrangements. Answers are
given to questions such as: what rules
apply to the removal costs, what
arrangements are there to cover
medical costs, how often can I go
home on leave to the Netherlands and
how do I travel there, what do I do
about insuranceschooling costslocal
transport, any tropical clothing that
may be needed, admission to hospital,
deaths in the family, and much more.
"The determination of the salary is a
whole story in itself. Some years ago a
salary calculation system was
introduced which ensures, amongst
other things, that the Heineken
employee can maintain the same
spending pattern abroad as he would
have had in the Netherlands, depite
exchange rate fluctuations and
inflationIf the cost of living increased
in the foreign country and if the
employee's salary were to remain the
same, he would have (sometimes
considerably) less spending power.
But our salary calculation system now
enables us to make an accurate
computation of the influence of
exchange rate changes and inflation
on the disposable income. On this
basis adjustments can be made so that
the disposable income is maintained
at the same level", explains Mr.
Kuhlman.
In the build-up of the salary the
country of secondment is also taken
into accountWorking and living in the
tropics means an extra burden, for
instance because of the climate.
The ladies in the travel bureau: Petra van Dorst (left)
and Mariska van der Togt.
The I. PD. secretariat is staffed by Renata Wijbenga (left),
Perry Brand and Sylvia Geerts.
"Working in a tropical country simply
happens to be completely different
from working in the Netherlands".
Kuhlman adds that the differences
between the countries are very wide in
such fields as medical facilities,
culture, language, social contact,
recreational facilities, etc. Depending
on the extent to which the various
circumstances differ, expatriates can
receive an extra allowance.
The comprehensive income
calculations are time-consuming. And
so the computer brings the solution.
"We are busy automating. We've
almost reached the stage where we
can offer expatriates an individual
income statement. From such a
statement the expatriates can see the
differences between the situation in
the Netherlands and their local
incomeIn vie w of the present state of
the art in computerisation, this
represents an initial phase in the
automation process within the I.P.D.
Over the longer term it will have to be
possible to link together a number of
data so that the information can be
made available quickly and efficiently."
Since the I.P.D. has gained a wealth of
experience in the area of secondments
over the years, its know-how is also
being used by other operating
companies.
Mr. Kuhlman ends by remarking that
Heineken maintains contacts with
other internationally operating
businesses in order to ascertain
whether Heineken is following the
general pattern of developments with
regard to expatriates. According to
Kuhlman, these talks with other
businesses show that Heineken offers
good secondment arrangements.
Beer cans with a new
closure will be put on to
the Dutch market this
year. Fixed to the lid is a metal
tab which is pushed inwards to
open the can.This is known as
the "undetachable can end" .This
new design will help create a
tidier environment and will bring
an end to injuries caused by
thoughtlessly discarded ring
pulls. Following mutual
consultation the Dutch
breweries, affiliated within
Holland's Central Brewery
Office, decided jointly to
introduce this change.
Holland's "Recreation
Foundation" has concluded from
surveys that each year one
person in every hundred
recreationing on beaches and at
the water's edge is injured by can
ring pulls which have been left
lying on the ground.The
foundation was therefore very
pleased about the decision by the
Dutch breweries.
Talks are still being held about
the date of the introduction, but
the cans with the new closure are
expected to be launched in the
middle of this year.
In our October issue of Heineken
Internal Magazine we proudly
reported on the licensing
agreement between Heineken and the
Hamar brewery in Norway. This
related to a licensing agreement for
the Amstel brand.
One day before the magazine's
publication date it was announced
that the agreement had been called off
by Hamar. Heineken Regional
Marketing Manager G.J. Vuyk
explains why: "We heard that,
unexpectedly, another brewery chain
was planning to take over the Hamar
brewery. Feeling that such a takeover
would not fit in with a licensing
agreement, Hamar informed us that
they had decided against any further
cooperation."
