Joost Klapmuts
Management and HRThe Employee Journey

The Basics of Good Employment Practices

Good employment practices go beyond simply paying salaries or handling contracts. They revolve around a healthy and professional work environment where people know where they stand, feel safe, and can work sustainably. Especially in the cultural sector, where teams are often small and roles are filled flexibly, a solid foundation helps create peace of mind, clarity, and continuity.

Terms of Employment

Terms of employment form the basis of the working relationship between employer and employee. These include agreements regarding salary, working hours, and professional development. Clear agreements on these matters prevent misunderstandings and foster trust.

Terms of employment may include, for example:

  • salary or hourly rate
  • Working Hours and Overtime
  • vacation days and leave
  • pension plan
  • travel allowance
  • Work-from-Home Policies
  • training budget
  • flexible work hours
  • Contract Term and Notice Periods
  • Absenteeism and Illness

Many cultural organizations are party to a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) or follow one, such as the Dutch Performing Arts CBA, the Museum CBA, or the Arts Education CBA. Even if your organization is not directly covered by a CBA, these agreements can serve as a framework for fair employment conditions and Fair Pay. See also: CBAs in the cultural sector and Fair Pay.

In addition, organizations are increasingly looking beyond just salary. Flexibility, opportunities for professional development, and work-life balance also play an important role in making an organization an attractive employer. Examples include hybrid work arrangements, opportunities for training and coaching, flexible schedules during production periods, and extra attention to mental health after intensive projects.

Contracts and Administration

Contracts and HR administration sometimes feel like a necessary evil, but they are actually an important part of professional employment practices. A contract sets forth the agreements between an employer and an employee or between a client and a contractor. HR administration involves managing all related data and documents, such as time tracking, leave, pay stubs, and sick leave.

A clear employment contract helps both parties keep expectations straight. Therefore, be sure to document agreements clearly—not only regarding salary and hours, but also, for example, regarding working from home, side jobs, copyrights, or overtime. Especially in the cultural sector, work and personal involvement often overlap.

Clarity is important for freelancers, too. Therefore, use clear assignment agreements and be transparent about rates, responsibilities, and deadlines.

💡 Tip: Use standard templates for contracts and onboarding documents. This saves time and ensures greater consistency within your organization. You can find examples of these at digiPACCT (part of Platform ACCT).

The Employee Handbook

An employee handbook may sound formal, but it actually helps create a sense of calm and clarity. It allows you to set out practical guidelines so that employees don’t have to rely on ad-hoc explanations for every question.

Consider, for example, agreements regarding:

  • recruitment and selection
  • Leave and Sickness
  • Working from Home and Availability
  • manners and behavior
  • privacy
  • expense reports and working hours
  • Confidential Advisors and Reporting Procedures
  • Training and Development

Organizations that are growing, in particular, often find that informal agreements eventually stop providing enough guidance. An employee handbook helps to better document knowledge and procedures.

RI&E and Occupational Health and Safety

In the cultural sector, working safely and healthily involves more than just physical safety. Consider evening shifts, peak workloads during productions, irregular working hours, or temporary project structures. Freelancers and temporary workers are also part of that work environment.

  • RI&E stands for Risk Inventory and Evaluation. As an organization, you use this process to identify risks within the workplace. These include physical safety, as well as work pressure, psychosocial stress, and inappropriate behavior. Based on this, you develop an action plan to mitigate risks. Small organizations can use digital tools free of charge. On this page, you can search for the right RI&E.
  • ARBO refers to the Working Conditions Act. This law requires employers to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. This applies not only to office chairs or fire safety, but also to mental health and well-being in the workplace. The law also stipulates that every employer is required to offer employees a preventive medical examination.

Within HR, therefore, the workload-capacity model is increasingly being used . This model examines the balance between what a job demands of an employee and what the employee can handle. When the workload exceeds capacity over an extended period, the risk of stress and absenteeism increases.

Practical measures don’t have to be complicated. Think of realistic schedules, clear timetables, and set times for evaluation after busy periods. For example: after an intensive festival or production block, intentionally schedule a quieter work period or a group evaluation meeting.

A Safe Work Environment

Social safety is receiving increasing attention within the cultural sector. Organizations are becoming more aware of power dynamics, inappropriate behavior, and the impact of an unsafe work culture.

However, a healthy work environment does not happen on its own. It requires clear agreements, exemplary behavior from managers, and the freedom to discuss problems openly. Social safety is also playing an increasingly important role within the Governance Code for Culture, for example in relation to accountability, transparency, and a culture of open communication. Many organizations therefore work with codes of conduct, confidential advisors, or external reporting channels. Attention to social safety and good employment practices is also growing within grant programs and funds. The Social Safety in the Performing Arts Foundation offers tips and examples of codes of conduct.

A Healthy Work Environment as Part of the Culture

Ultimately, good employment practices aren’t just about documents or rules—they’re also part of an organization’s day-to-day culture. How do colleagues communicate with one another? Is there room for feedback? And do people feel that they’re taken seriously?

As a result, more and more cultural organizations are combining informal collaboration with more professional HR structures—not to become more bureaucratic, but rather to foster sustainable teams, clarity, and a healthy work environment.

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