8 November 2007

AMSTERDAM - Dutch civil servants want to talk less and do more, according to a recent poll published by the weekly magazine Binnenlands Bestuur.

The poll also surveyed the number and length of meetings Dutch employees are engaged in per week. Some 218 public sector civil servants and 689 employees from the private sector were interviewed.

Employees from the public sector said they spent more than five hours per week in meetings compared to employees in the private sector who spend less than three hours in weekly meetings.

Civil servants claim they could be more productive if the number of meetings was reduced. Employees in both the private and public sector say meetings often do not result in clear-cut decisions. It sometimes remained unclear who was responsible for taking certain measures.

The Dutch have a reputation for resolving all problems through talks, negotiations and meetings.

In the 1990s, the Dutch invented a new name for their own work style and mentality: the polder model. According to this system, all problems can be solved by talks and compromises.

The polder model refers to "polder" or land regained - the Netherlands has largely been regained from the sea.

[Copyright dpa 2007]

Subject: Dutch news