Listening to colleagues and helping them further if needed: that suits Joanna Orlicka. Since October, she has also been fulfilling this role as the new internal confidential advisor. We had a conversation with her and her external colleague, Iris Voorbergen from Stigas. “We always stand on the side of the reporter.”

Being able to confidentially vent about behavioral issues in the workplace: that’s what a confidential advisor is for. For about five years, Iris has been fulfilling this role for the team at AB Midden Nederland. “Our work deals with inappropriate behavior, such as workplace bullying, aggression, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Fortunately, complaints are not frequent. In most cases, my experience is that it’s about conflicts with a colleague or a supervisor.”

Every report starts with listening. Taking the time to hear the story. “Often, that’s already enough,” nods Iris. And Joanna adds, “I’ve had two phone conversations with colleagues so far. They just wanted to share their stories, to get it off their chest. I didn’t need to do anything further.”

Iris continues, “If that’s not enough, we support the reporters in the further process. What do you want to achieve? Would you benefit from a conversation with, for example, a supervisor or a professional help agency? Do you want to file an official complaint? We assist with that. Important to mention: we do not practice mediation. We always stand on the side of the reporting employee, we are there for them.”

This work certainly involves a bit of intuition. “The line between a previously mentioned conflict, which strictly speaking does not fall under the definition of inappropriate behavior, and someone who really crosses the line can be thin. That’s not always immediately clear. We discuss this as well.”

Joanna has been working for AB Midden Nederland for ten years. She already complements her role as an administrative assistant by arranging health insurance for EU employees. Taking on the role of confidential advisor is a new challenge for her. “This came up in conversations with Marga Hendriksen, also because my predecessor as a confidential advisor, Monika Hopper, left.”

This role is not entirely new to her. At a previous employer, she guided a large number of employees who had fallen ill. “I loved doing that. Fortunately, I often heard: ‘You’re good at this’. It suits me. That’s also why I want to take this step at AB Midden Nederland.”

Joanna originally comes from Poland. For the many EU employees from this country, this is a significant added value. “In your mother tongue, you can express yourself much better than when you have to convey what’s bothering you in English or German. I can hear in the nuances and the way of speaking how deeply something affects someone. It really lowers the threshold for them to approach the confidential advisor.”

For the record: she does not yet see herself as fully trained. Joanna is therefore happy that she can rely on an experienced confidential advisor like Iris when she has questions. And she is eager to delve deeper into it. “Unfortunately, the training I wanted to follow was canceled twice – in January and February. In May, I hope to finally start it. I find it very important to be well-prepared for this role.”

In conclusion, trust is – and this goes without saying – crucial for a confidential advisor. But Iris emphasizes it once again: “Everything you tell us stays within these walls. Only with explicit permission do we proceed further. And how we do that is always in consultation.”