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vandelanotte helps guide apotheek lamoot through the complex world of social legislation
Vandelanotte helps guide Apotheek Lamoot through the complex world of social legislation
West Flanders pharmacy business Apotheek Lamoot has certainly not rested on its laurels since its early beginnings. Much has changed over the decades, resulting in more branches and increased recruitment. To ensure for the smooth running of all personnel matters, they rely on Vandelanotte's extensive knowledge and expertise for their payroll system, something they certainly haven’t come to regret. ‘We look forward to a long and fruitful working relationship with Vandelanotte. You said it yourself, a family business working with another family business, that's pretty neat, isn't it?' says Johan Lamoot.
In the late 1950s, Lamoot senior set up his own pharmacy in Vlamertinge. The pharmacy continued to grow at a steady pace, eventually needing to take on additional staff. In the early 1990s, son Johan and his wife joined the business. A few years later, they would take full ownership of the pharmacy business. Eventually, they got the opportunity to supply some retirement homes, a side of the business that just kept on growing. As a result, Johan Lamoot decided to make further investments and open more branches. As of 2022, Apotheek Lamoot has four branches in the Ypres region, employing around 25 staff.
In addition to being a traditional, physical chain of stores, Apotheek Lamoot has also jumped on the digital bandwagon with its very own online store ‘Homedi’. In doing so, they want to offer an alternative to the big ‘pharma giants’ who, while offering significant discounts, offer little in the way of tailored advice. ‘There are dangers associated with taking any medication. At Homedi, we want to offer a complete solution, showing that both a physical and an online shop can go together hand in hand. The customer receives help quickly, while benefiting from expert, tailored advice', explains Johan. ‘The online shop is a blessing for customers who cannot easily get to the pharmacy, allowing us to provide quick answers to any queries they may have’. And by quick, we mean quick – if you order before 3pm, you will receive your order that very same day. What's more, this is all done in an environmentally sustainable way, with every order within a 15 km radius being delivered to the customer by e-bike or electric car.
Apotheek Lamoot is and has remained a true family business. Johan's children, sons Sebastiaan and Alexander, as well as daughter Stephanie, also play an active role within the business. And this is something they have all grown to enjoy. ‘We love working together. We trust one another implicitly. We know each other inside and out, so we all know what to ask from each other’, says daughter Stephanie. However, according to Johan, this can sometimes prove a double-edged sword: ‘Some think we have it easier because we're working for the family business. This is simply not the case. We manage and fill all the gaps in the schedule every week. And that's not always easy, especially knowing that we want to provide top service from Monday morning to Saturday night. As a family, we also have to make sure we set a good example for the other staff each and every day. So taking time off in the height of summer is out of the question for us. It's important to strike a good balance between what will keep everybody happy’. With employee satisfaction being incredibly important to both father and daughter, ‘we want to create an environment without friction and where everyone treats each other with respect. In these challenging times, we also, and I believe other companies should as well, pay attention to foreign-language employees. We want everyone to feel at home with us.’
Leave applications, payroll, ... while we would like to do things the right way, we are not as familiar with this side of things. Fortunately, thanks to our Payroll contact Jolien, we are well on our way in that respect.Johan Lamoot , Pharmacy Lamoot
Giving every employee the same conditions starts with having a reliable HR partner, and that is where they turned to Vandelanotte. ‘We were already doing our bookkeeping with Vandelanotte. The confidence was already there, so the switch was pretty seamless. Leave applications, payroll, ... while we would like to do things the right way, we are not as familiar with this side of things, especially as Belgian social legislation is quite complex in nature. Fortunately, thanks to our Payroll contact Jolien, we are well on our way in that respect’, says Johan. Both father and daughter agree that, throughout this working relationship, Vandelanotte have proved themselves to be both accessible and reliable, all with an added personal touch. They also appreciate the continuous service: ‘No matter when a question might come up, we can always get an answer pretty quickly. Even during lockdown, we were always able to rely on Vandelanotte. Should one of our employees be forced to take an extended leave of absence, Vandelanotte will provide solutions to ensure the business is kept running smoothly’, says Johan. ‘Would we recommend Vandelanotte to other pharmacists? Absolutely!’
Disclaimer
In our opinions, we rely on current legislation, interpretations and legal doctrine. This does not prevent the administration from disputing them or from changing existing interpretations.
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