On Thursday, March 12, State Secretary Eric van der Burg paid a working visit to Lelystad. During the visit to the provincial government building, the topic of the National Meeting Square was central.
What is a National Meeting Square?
The Netherlands has several National Meeting Squares. These are (parts of) government offices where all civil servants are welcome. National Meeting Squares offer facilities such as individual workspaces, project rooms for brainstorming sessions, and comfortable spots for quick visits. The provincial government building of Flevoland is also a National Meeting Square where employees of the national government and the province work together.
During the visit, the State Secretary received explanations about this way of working and its benefits. There were also discussions with various civil servants about how they experience this collaboration.
Collaboration in the provincial government building
Toon van Dijk, responsible official of the Province of Flevoland: With National Meeting Squares, we literally bring civil servants and the region together. This leads to better cooperation, short lines of communication, and more understanding of what is happening in Flevoland.
State Secretary Van der Burg also brought a suggestion box during the working visit. Good ideas rarely arise alone; together people simply know more than one person. Here in Lelystad, we have also set up a workspace so that employees do not always have to travel to The Hague. By bringing people close together to collaborate, it becomes easier to share knowledge and solve issues faster.
Photographer: Maarten Feenstra