For the APG 2024 Annual Report, Heleen Kuijten-Koenen shared her perspective on the role of People & Change in an organization undergoing significant transformation. She discusses APG’s approach to employee engagement, the frameworks and initiatives that help foster a motivating work environment, and the key lessons learned from guiding the first pension funds through the transition to the new pension system.
How does APG ensure that staff feel involved in all the transition processes?
“The most important thing is to stay in dialog. Starting within the teams of course, but as an employer APG also wants to be predictable and reliable. On the one hand, in 2025 it will become clearer what APG will look like after the transition. On the other, the urgency is here and now, with cost reductions and transitions. We’re going allout to integrate the rest of the funds. That means we as the management need to be clear: what’s the status, and when will we be able to give concrete indications? Once we know more, we’ll immediately organize a global town hall session, for example, so people know where they stand. Then we’ll rely on a continuous dialog between managers and their team, where nobody is afraid to express their uncertainties. The role of People & Change is to stay alert and steer communications in the right direction. What do we hear, see, and sense? Are people feeling anxious? If so, we want to put our heads together with managers to provide the necessary support.”
And how do you keep staff motivated?
“Of course, it’s not the task of People & Change to motivate people, but we can create clear frameworks. These are incredibly exciting times. APG is working on something valuable, and everyone’s contribution is essential. Moreover, you feel the greatest appreciation if you achieve something as a team, if your manager sees your added value. That gives you a lot of energy.”
What has People & Change learned from the transition of the first funds?
“One of the main pillars is the training plan. In 2024, a small group of us learned how to work with the managers, to make sure that people are able to familiarize themselves with the new systems and working structures in a timely manner — while we as APG remain demonstrably in control. Hopefully that’ll be visible on a large scale soon.”