What does the municipality offer employees

In addition to your salary, we offer many opportunities to develop yourself, relax and balance your work and private life. The collective bargaining agreement for municipalities governs the terms of employment.

Heerlen vital

A healthy work-life balance. Feeling good about yourself both physically and mentally. When all this is in balance, you are vital. The municipality likes to contribute to this. We have therefore developed the vitality incentive scheme and the Vitknip.

With the incentive scheme, the municipality wants to offer employees the opportunity to be active or work on their vitality. We provide an annual budget of €150 net per employee. The amount may be used for a number of vital goals such as:

  • chair massage at Zen-Fire during working hours;
  • Contribution to contribution to sports club/sports school of your choice;
  • Contribution to yoga/meditation at a certified institute of your choice;
  • contribution to a musical society or a creative course.

With the Vitknip we connect our employees with entrepreneurs in the city. Each quarter, employees receive €40 net on a personal app. With this they can visit Heerlen entrepreneurs alone, with colleagues, family or friends for moments of relaxation during or after working hours. 

Bicycle scheme

Cycling also contributes to staying fit and vital. Therefore, we have a bicycle scheme where once every 3 years you can choose from three options: a lease bicycle, an interest-free loan or a reimbursement of up to €350 net to buy a bicycle.

Working time reduction (ADV)

We offer the opportunity to accrue working time reduction (ADV). Your working hours are higher than paid hours. This therefore provides additional time off. Employees can take time off at other times to take a trip, do volunteer work or relax, for example.

Staff Association

We have a staff association that organizes a lot such as weekends away, the Saint Nicholas afternoon for the little ones and a day trip to Formula 1. In addition, you enjoy many discounts if you are a member.

Heerlen Young Professionals

For our younger colleagues, we have created Heerlen Young Professionals (HYP). HYP was created to meet, connect, discover all kinds of things about yourself, your career, the region, work, and of course to relax together from time to time. 

Our work concept

We work according to our own work concept and we work activity-oriented. This means that we work flexibly: you decide where and when you work on what. We provide a space to work between 07:00 and 22:00. In a beautiful, renovated city office with a pleasant working environment. If it suits your position, you will receive a telephone and a laptop. So you can work digitally and be accessible anywhere.

Terms of employment in collective bargaining agreement

In addition to the above additional arrangements, our terms of employment are in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement for municipalities. This collective bargaining agreement regulates legal status matters for employees. 

Leave and vacation policy

Statutory leave is 144 hours. Employees are also entitled to 57.60 hours of excess statutory leave. We also have the option of buying leave, selling it (and thus having it paid out) or saving it (for example, for a sabbatical or early retirement).

Individual Choice Budget (IKB)

In addition to salary, employees receive an Individual Budget of Choice (IKB). With the IKB there is more freedom of choice about the use of the benefits package. For example, employees can choose their own payment, the purchase of leave hours and the tax-friendly exchange of commuting expenses. Everyone makes choices that suit their work and private situation. 

The accrual of the IKB (17.05%):

  • 8% vacation allowance
  • 7.55% year-end bonus
  • 1.5% lifetime contribution

Retirement

Employees are insured with the ABP for old-age, disability, and survivors' pensions.

Insurance

We offer group discounts for car insurance, home package insurance or accident insurance, among others. Health insurance is a free choice; a group discount applies if you choose IZA, CZ or Menzis. Finally, we offer AOV (disability insurance): this is a collective insurance that supplements any WIA benefit.

Home work allowance

We offer the possibility of working from home. For every day you work from home you will receive a compensation of €3 net.

Career coaches and development opportunities

We believe that you are the director of your own career. That is why you have the opportunity to follow training and courses, in consultation with your manager. We also have enthusiastic in-house career coaches.