maX BNL

Proactivein times of change

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The time when management assistants

focused solely on typing letters, managing

the diary and booking business travel has

long gone. This job is evolving and creating

the future proof assistant. This development

is being supported very much by the

developments in our society. Globalization,

workplace innovation and advances in

technology are changing the face of this

discipline, and the new management assistant

is an all-round professional who is increasingly

taking on the role of co-manager. This change

is exciting but it also presents new challenges.

Assistants are going to have to use their unique

talents to the full if they want to remain

employable. It is only by delivering their best

that they will continue to be an asset to any

organization.

And that’s where we want to help them.

In 2014 we worked together with the group

of assistants to examine how all these

developments are affecting the role of the

management assistant and how we can

respond most effectively. The maX BNL

event 2013, which was attended by over

400 assistants, was a helpful starting point

in this respect. As a result of this event, we set

up three workgroups to help us gain a better

insight into the dynamic context in which

assistants operate today. These workgroups

also examined what needs the assistants have

and how they can help themselves to function

most effectively in a world and a work

environment that are constantly changing.

Proud This flyer outlines all of the activities we have

organized and the results we have achieved.

We are proud of the enthusiasm and the

energy with which our assistants have set

about making themselves future proof. We no

longer have any doubt that these strong

women will continue to drive Philips forwards!

assistants, but it is also clear that our world is

changing at a rapid rate. This means assistants

need to develop new competencies if they want

to continue to be employable and irreplaceable.

Fortunately, everyone has their own, unique talents.

The key is knowing how to display these talents in

a way that benefits both yourself and the business.

We are going to help our assistants to do this. It is

not so long ago that there were 350,000 assistants

in the Netherlands. Over the coming years this

number will shrink to 150,000. It may not look

very hopeful, but I am convinced that they can

all continue to be employable, if they are just

brave enough to change, evolve and innovate

in their field.”

Introduction

Sara van Broekhoven, business development manager Adecco Top Secretaries“It is clear that the world cannot manage without

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Brave enough to change, evolve and innovate”

Introduction

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Mobility workgroup• Jorkia Timmerman (chairperson)

• Margreet Bouwman

• Mariejanne van den Broek

• Marion Nolet

• Marjolein Pronk

• Danielle van Roest

• Judith van der Velden

With the support of experts

• Ralph Roels (Talent Acquisition)

• Nicole van Waes (Briks Inzetbaarheid)

WPI/HNW workgroup• Jacqueline Le Doux (chairperson)

• Jolanda van den Born

• Davina van Duinen (until 1 March 2015)

• Ankie Egelmeers (as of 1 March 2015)

• Naomi Gilchrist

• Sandra Goudriaan

• Jet van Happen (until 1 March 2015)

• Cecile Hoppenbrouwers

• Ine Lazaroms

• Danielle van Roest (as of 1 March 2015)

• Nicole Schoones

• Dorien Senders

• Mirjam Simons

With the support of experts

• Hilco van Maanen (PPS)

• Nico Orie (HR Digital)

• Eric Soenens & Peter de Winter

(WPI Office/Real Estate)

• Francel Vos (TNO)

maX BNL Council

Overview of workgroup members

Development workgroup• Paula Luitingh

(chairperson as of 1 March 2015)

• Anique van Waardt

(chairperson until 1 March 2015)

• Ankie Egelmeers

• Annemarie Hagen

• Monique Terhoeve

• Patricia van der Velden

• Adri Vermeulen

• Leentje Willems

With the support of experts

• Kristel Ponjé (Philips University)

• Jean in ’t Panhuis (Philips University)

• Penny Scholl (Schoevers)

Communications workgroup• Anique van Waardt

(chairperson as of 1 March 2015)

• Nettie Boonstra

(chairperson until 1 March 2015)

• Angela Mutsers

• Cecile Hoppenbrouwers

Above from left to right: Jacqueline Le Doux,

Jorkia Timmerman, Victorine van Huet, Anique van Waardt,

Paula Luitingh, Angela Mutsers, Jessica Steenwinkel.

Below from left to right: Dorien Senders, Gerie Lamphen,

Nettie Boonstra, Gaby Vandewalle.

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Hans DijkmanHead of HR Benelux

The world is changing. That in itself is no

great surprise, because it’s been doing that

for years. However, it does have implications

for us. It means we have to change with it,

grow with it, and make sure we don’t stagnate.

I’ve been at Philips for quite some time.

In the early 80s we were still using typewriters,

the internet was an invention in the distant

future and nobody had ever heard of e-mail.

Our assistants were known as ‘secretaries’.

The change in jargon says it all, really.

It shows we have come to expect different

things from our assistants. And our expectations

are continuing to change. So it is time we did

something about it!

One of the main areas of change is information

technology. These days we are able to achieve

more with fewer people. That is why it is

important to stay one step ahead of

technology, to find something in yourself

that a computer is not able to do. If you don’t

do that, there is a risk that your work will be

taken over by computers. My assistant draws

my attention to important matters, she also

reads my mail and, in so doing, she picks up

on a lot of things herself. To be able to do this

she needs to have a clear understanding of

what is going on in the organization in our

field. She complements me and supports

me in a constructive way.

And all assistants are going to have to make

this change. That is why it is so important for

them to have a platform where they can share

knowledge and experiences, work on their

own development and learn from one

another through best practices. MaX BNL has

demonstrated that it fulfills a gaping need.

When I see the enthusiasm with which all of

the activities are being developed, I am proud

to be involved as a sponsor. The project not

only deals with the changes that are taking

place in this field, it also aims to empower

the assistants. It is a very worthwhile program

for the years that lie ahead.

After all, in years to come the world is going

to continue changing and updating, and there

will of course be ever-faster developments in

technology. Bear that in mind, take steps to

advance your own development and invest

in yourself. That is the best advice I can give

you. The relationship between assistant,

manager and department will continue to

exist, of that I am sure. The assistant’s role

– like the glue that binds everything together –

is a very worthwhile one and we are not just

going to give up on it easily. But we are going

to have to keep working on it, so that in the

years ahead we can continue to be assured

of a strong partnership that will help to drive

our success!

Advance your own development and invest in yourself”

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It is the same for us all, if you stay in the same place and perform the same job for too long you will get stuck in a rut. You will be less inclined to continue developing and your creative potential will diminish. Through the Mobility workgroup we aim to encourage and promote internal and external mobility among assistants. Why? To enable them to take that horizontal or vertical step faster so that they can increase their knowledge of the organization, improve their flexibility and expand their network. Whether you can remain employable for the long term will, after all, depend on your personal and professional development!

Mobility

With this in mind, in 2014 we organized a

number of activities, including five maXimize Yourself pilots in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Through this interactive workshop we aimed

to make assistants think about their future,

about what kind of work and career they want

and what their specific talents are, in an effort

to make them aware that they are responsible

for their own employability. Talent Acquisition

helped the participants by giving advice on

how to apply for a job and showing them how

to improve their CV as well as their LinkedIn

and Taleo profile. In total, sixty assistants took

part and all of the interim evaluations showed

that they were very pleased with both the

content of the program and the learning points

they had formulated for themselves to help

them achieve their ambitions. This workshop

is going to be offered in 2015 as part of the

E-miles portfolio.

NetworkingWhat else have we done? We set up LinkedIn sessions, with deep dive sessions, in which

over a hundred assistants took part. We also

organized a network event at which role

models talked about the changes in their work,

recruiters from Talent Acquisition shared tips

& tricks, and the participants were given style

advice to help ensure they make a good first

impression. As part of the AEX coaching program, where AEX stands for ‘Assistants’

EXchange’, some 25 coaches were trained to

coach other colleagues. Coaching provides

an opportunity for the assistants to support

each other and to learn from one another,

for example in the field of networking skills,

division of work and work/life balance. It is

also a good opportunity for both parties to

expand their network. The training course was

provided by InContext. All of these activities

help to ensure that assistants gain a clear

understanding of their own competencies

and qualities. Once they have a clear picture

of what they are capable of in the future, they

can then visit the Philips Community to look

for interesting job vacancies. Since last year

these vacancies have been posted on this

platform specifically for this target group.

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Jorkia Timmerman, chairperson of the Mobility workgroup and author of the article entitled ‘Why change jobs?’, talks about promoting mobility among assistants:“Get out of your comfort zone! That is easier

said than done, as I know only too well.

Nevertheless, you will discover that outside

your comfort zone there are pleasant surprises

awaiting you and that you are capable of

much more than you think. I have always

been incredibly quiet and reserved, and

when I tell people now that I am naturally

extremely introverted, they simply don’t

believe me. If you ask me, that shows just

how far I have come. If you don’t know how

to go about this, try writing down everything

you are good at. And whilst you are doing

that, also think about the pitfalls and the

challenges associated with these key qualities.

Here at Philips there are coaches who can help

you with this. Believe me, it will open up a

world of new opportunities!”

What did the assistants think of it?About maXimize Yourself• “ My manager has noticed a change in my

behavior since this workshop. He says I am

more open and more self-assured.”

About the networking event• “ You are responsible for taking steps yourself

and your career is in your own hands.”

• “ It is inspiring and interesting to hear how

others have developed their career.”

• “ It’s good to be reminded just how important

it is to have a strong network.”

Get out of your comfort zone!”

My personal learning experience…

Five reasons why a new job is good for you!• More work experience means greater added

value, especially if this experience extends

into another sector.

• By stepping out of your comfort zone and

pushing your boundaries you will learn to

adapt more quickly to new situations.

• New experiences give you a completely new mindset, and this in turn boosts your creativity

and teaches you to think out of the box.

• Experience, flexibility and knowledge all

increase your chances of a long-lasting career, whether it is inside or outside Philips.

• A new job gives you an opportunity to expand

your network, competencies and skills: you really

can’t let a challenge like that pass you by!

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DevelopmentA change in culture ultimately depends on an internal transformation. That is why the Development workgroup is devoting considerable attention to internalizing the requirements that are made on assistants.

The focus is clear. Since the workgroup was set up at the end of 2013,

the members have been working hard to update the very outdated

competency profile of management assistants and to set up the

corresponding learning paths. There has been a lot of focus on the new

method of working and the changing role of management assistants

within Philips. During coffee-corner meetings everyone had a chance

to have their say and to give their input on the further development of

the future-proof assistant. It is in the interests of both the assistants and

the organization to have a clear idea of what it takes to be a future-proof

assistant. If you know what is expected of you, you are better able to fulfill

those expectations. And you will be more inclined to take advantage of

extra tuition or coaching in order to develop your skills further.

In today’s international work environment we are seeing a rise in the

importance of social skills: assertiveness and the ability to network and

maintain contacts. Employees are also being required to deliver more

in terms of content, so that they can serve as a well-matched sparring

partner for their manager. Together with LTL and Schoevers we developed

six competencies and for each competency we have defined what can

be expected at each of three different levels – ‘apply’, ‘guide’ and ‘shape’.

We then looked at possible learning paths to see which ones could be

linked to these various levels. In so doing, we focused on the 10-20-70

learning model, whereby ‘10’ relates to formal training courses with which

the desired level of competency can be attained, ‘20’ relates to the things

you can learn from your peers through coaching or mentoring, and ‘70’

relates to everything to do with the knowledge, skills and behavior you can

acquire through daily tasks. Together with the Philips University we then

charted learning solutions for the competency profiles we had developed.

The assistants will be linked automatically to the appropriate website in a

practical and efficient way via their chosen learning solution, which means

they will no longer have to search in a number of different systems.

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“If you ask me, it is not possible to sum up assistants on the basis of a single core quality. I firmly believe

that what really matters is how they perform their duties: proactively, with a smile and on time, delivering quality and always striving to be more efficient and effective.” Frans van Houten

Anique van Waardt, chairperson of the Development workgroup:“What really inspires me is working together with enthusiastic

and passionate people, going for it together and continuing

to believe in something that others view with a certain amount

of skepticism. I find it really motivating when we succeed and

people see that what we are doing is worthwhile, and this also

really boosts my personal development. I would therefore

recommend to anyone that they step out of their everyday

role and go – with an open mind – to do something completely

different. It opens your eyes and forces you to approach things in

a different way in order to achieve the targets that have been set.

You also really gain a lot because you build up such a massive

network in such a short time. It adds an extra dimension to work

satisfaction and to your interaction with colleagues. I have also

been really inspired by the sponsorship from a number

of enthusiastic supporters, like Yvonne van den Berg

(Director Social Innovation@Philips)!”

Going for it together and continuing to believe”

My personal learning experience…

“In my opinion the core quality of an assistant is the way they inspire others by setting a good example.

The modern assistant is like a spider in a web, continuously seeking out connections for her manager, making use of new and modern communication resources and always being alert to changes in the work environment. In effect, she manages her manager... with a smile!” Hans de Jong

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Breaking through work patterns and encouraging personal leadership among assistants, that is what Workplace Innovation / The New Way of Working aims to achieve. All of the changes within the work domain require more professional development in terms of organizational knowledge, new tools and closer cooperation between different parties, but they also require personal development. Assistants have to embrace the transformation away from their task-driven and supporting role and towards that of an all-round, proactive co-manager. And in this changing work environment they have to demonstrate personal leadership.

Workplace innovation The New Way of Working

Together with the workgroup we explored

ways to encourage this changing mindset.

It became clear from workshops that assistants

were quick to accept the hardware of the

work environment, such as digitalization and

IT solutions. They were, however, afraid that

their role would disappear or become less

visible within the organization. Work/life

balance was also a cause for concern for

assistants at an international level. This is

why we focused our activities on how to

take personal leadership so that assistants

would learn to be more assertive, to be

more mobile within the organization,

and to stay up to date with the latest

developments.

In concrete terms this means that we charted

the implications of the new way of working

and then defined guidelines in conjunction

with the WPI Office/Real Estate. We also

organized Workday Webcasts and Philips Community Webinars, in which we looked in

greater depth at the role of the assistant in

relation to the new PPS support model and

the ways in which assistants can improve

themselves continuously. In the webinars we

made the assistants social-media-proof and

examined how social media can be used to

improve communication and cooperation

within teams. Another digital resource is

Wikipedia for assistants, a database

containing all of the necessary tools of the

trade. These include, for example, tools for

recording meetings (BCD), reserving facilities

(Johnson Control), declaring expenses (Concur)

and ordering office materials (Lyreco).

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Jacqueline Le Doux, chairperson of the WPI/HNW workgroup:“Looking back on the past year, I can see

there were a number of learning points.

If you want to go on a change journey

together, you have to first of all be aware

of the group dynamics. You then have to

set clear aims and split the changes up

into small steps so that they can be

worked out together with the assistants.

This helps those assistants who are not

yet entirely comfortable with all the

changes to embrace them once and for

all. It is very important to check regularly

that everyone is still on board, just as it

is important to realize that all of the

elements in a process like this are linked

to one another and strengthen one

another. You need to set clear aims, take

small steps, choose the right timing and,

above all, never give up. The reward will

come by itself, and it is amazing to see

how we motivate one another to take

control!”

What did the assistants think of it?• “ We keep working away, but we

hardly ever stop and ask ourselves:

‘What are my competencies?

What am I really good at?

What do I enjoy doing?”

• “ Our work is changing much

faster than we think.”

• “ Don’t lose sight of yourself and

make sure you are visible. Use your

creativity, that’s something I learned

from the sessions.”

Enhanced longer employment@lighting

What is the benefit of essential professional expertise?Productive and healthy, valued

and widely employable: essential

professional expertise creates well-

balanced employees who create

a positive team spirit, have a broad

knowledge and extensive expertise

and who are always able to fulfill

the requirements in their work!

It is not only a specific mindset or

behavior that is required to bring about

a change in culture, it is also critical

that you work on your essential

professional expertise. That is why,

in conjunction with the WPI/HNW

workgroup and with the support

of the management at Lighting

Headquarters, the Essential

Professional Expertise@Lighting

(‘Verrijkt doorwerken@Lighting’)

pilot was introduced at Lighting.

In mid 2014 we started mind-mapping

sessions and charted what exactly

essential professional expertise entails,

how we can help to make the role of

an assistant more professional and

what the advantages of essential

professional expertise are for the

organization and the employee

themselves. Research bureau TNO

then carried out a survey among the

assistants and their managers at

Lighting, following which the results

were translated into a number of

specific steps. One of these steps is

‘Empower Yourself’, a program with

Adecco Top Secretaries which devotes

specific attention to personal

leadership, breaking old habits,

banishing restrictive beliefs, and

learning new behavior. The inspiring

program kick-off is followed by three

modules, each lasting half a day, plus

homework assignments and a final

group assignment, the results of

which the participants present to their

management. Participants develop a

‘smart’ personal plan, including a ‘WHY

mission statement’ and they gain an

insight into the customer satisfaction

model and the principles of host­

woman ship. All Lighting assistants are

given the opportunity to take part in

the program and after the effect of it

has been measured by TNO in mid

2015 a decision will then be made

as to whether the program will be

rolled out Philips-wide via the Philips

University or the E-miles program.

...above all, never give up”My personal learning experience…

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• Mobility: we are busy investigating how we

can introduce one central point of contact

for assistants. This will be somewhere

assistants can seek career advice and

we will coordinate supply and demand.

We will also draw attention to interesting

job vacancies for assistants in adjacent

functional areas via the Philips Community.

This will also enable assistants to consider

stepping outside the role of assistant.

• Development: in conjunction with the

Job Grading Department, we plan to

use the new competency profiles and

corresponding learning paths as input to

re-write the job description for assistants.

We will be rolling out these competencies

and learning paths among assistants and

their managers and we want them to be

included in the PPM/Midyear guide.

We are investigating whether we can

purchase an assessment program to check

what level the assistants’ competencies are

at. We are also going to investigate whether

it is possible to formulate a single shared

aim – one that applies for all assistants

in the Benelux – as part of the annual

goal-setting process.

Next steps 2015• WPI/HNW: we want to contribute to the

Workday Phase III project (in particular by

improving the new recruitment procedure),

to update the toolkit we developed with

essential links for assistants and to further

expand and follow up on the results of the

Essential Professional Expertise@Lighting

(‘Verrijkt doorwerken@Lighting’) pilot.

• Communication: communication will also

play an important role over the coming

period. The main challenge will be how

to involve the workforce – in particular the

managers, but also the assistants who work

at different places in the Benelux and are

not always able to attend central meetings

in Amsterdam or Eindhoven. It is for this

reason that we intend to make greater

use of webcasts and webinars to transfer

knowledge. We will make use of one

communication channel – MAC – to

inform our target audience.

Involve all colleagues

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You will find local assistant councils at various

places within Philips Nederland: Lighting,

Consumer Lifestyle, Healthcare, Research,

IT and the headquarters in Amsterdam.

These assistant councils are coordinated and

supported by the maX BNL Management

Assistant Council (MAC), which aims to

empower assistants, both as individuals and

as a group. The local councils all send one

Objectives • To ensure that the job of the management assistant is recognized.

• To react pro-actively to developments in the work domain.

• To organize workshops and communicate relevant information in order

to support and facilitate the process of personal development.

• To bring assistants together to help them to expand their internal network.

• To create a platform where assistants can share knowledge, dilemmas,

solutions and tools to promote professional and personal development.

• To inspire and support all assistants so that they continue to be future proof!

delegate to the MAC, which also includes

the chairpersons of the three workgroups.

The MAC is also supported by two executive

sponsors, Hans de Jong (Market Leader

Benelux) and Hans Dijkman (Head of HR

Benelux), who recognize and promote the

importance of our activities, both on a

business and on a personal level. In the

event of any hiccoughs, they come to our

Angela Mutsers, chairperson of MAC:“My personal ambition as chairperson of MAC is to link up

all of the management assistants at Philips Benelux so that

we can work together to ensure that our job continues to be

relevant, progressive and quite simply indispensible in our

organization!”

My personal ambition…

aid and are a great support in helping us

to realize our aims. So what are these aims?

We want to raise awareness of the rapidly

changing work environment of management

assistants and gain an understanding of the

needs of both the management and the

assistant in order to form a basis from which

to create the best-performing future-proof

assistants!

Connect all assistants”

Management Assistant Council maX BNL (MAC)

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What does maX BNL stand for? What is our key message? Who are the major stakeholders? What are the communication aims? What communication resources are we using, and for which target group?

Communication

These are all relevant questions which we are recording, together with

the Communications workgroup, in a detailed communications plan

in order to help drive the change process forwards. The workgroup

aims to use the maX BNL Group in the Philips Community, its own

SharePoint environment and e-newsletters to bring assistants

together so they can share their successes and experiences with

one another.

The ‘maX BNL Group’ in the Philips Community is THE communication

channel for future e-newsletters, publishing interesting vacancies,

announcements on activities, information and facts w.r.t. our profession

(e.g. IT, Travel, P-card, HR and Workday). The maX BNL Group can also

be used to ask each other for help, or to share interesting articles.

We invite all assistants to join the maX BNL Group.

Next to this we have set up a special SharePoint environment where

details of all the topics of discussion, minutes/reports and presentations

from the various workgroups can be downloaded.

Besides the e-newsletters, Community posts and the information

on SharePoint all assistants can expect following activities this year:

• Walk in/talk in lunches and coffee corner sessions

• Catch-up information & learning sessions per site

• Survey/polls

• Webcasts.

Our Communication will not be done from the separate workstreams,

but via one communication channel, the maX BNL Council (MAC).

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Silvie Klerx, executive service coordinator at Global Talent Acquisition (former project officer for Social Innovation@Philips)“I am pleased I had a chance to help with

maX BNL. As part of my role, I was closely

involved in starting up the workgroups and

the Management Assistant Council, and I

always tried to ensure the right connections

between all the various parties. I was also

actively involved in the communications

workgroup and regularly provided interesting

articles or presentations to be shared with

the workforce. It was great to see how the

workgroups were helping the assistants to

be more aware of what competencies they

already have and the changes that lie ahead

of them. ‘Take ownership’ is a phrase I heard

a lot, and I have no doubt that the assistants

and the members of the workgroups are

going to be working really hard over the

coming period. The commitment is there, and

during these months I watched it really grow!”

Take ownership!”My personal learning experience…

Register for the maX BNL Group

in the Philips Community via

https://philips. socialcast. com/home

© 2015 Koninklijke Philips N.V. All rights reserved. This project was made possible in part by:Program Office Social Innovation@Philips, HR Benelux.

For further information contact: Chairperson of the maX BNL Management Assistant Council: Angela Mutsers (Angela.Mutsers@Philips.com)Chairperson of the Communications workgroup: Anique van Waardt (Anique.van.Waardt@Philips.com)