Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Beloning

HR & People Analytics

Is your organization ready? Our SaaS solution provides the answer

EU Directive Pay Transparency in 2026:

Is your organization ready for the EU Directive Pay Transparency in 2026?

Major changes in wage transparency legislation are about to be implemented and will directly impact companies across the European Union. The EU Pay Transparency Directive on wage transparency is in the implementation phase and requires organizations to disclose job and salary structures, create pay gap reports, and take action to ensure fair remuneration. Since all EU member states must incorporate the directive into their national legislation by 2026, companies with more than 100 employees (both public and private organizations) will be required to report pay gap data.

Henrieke van Bommel

Organizational

People

HR Business Partner at Highberg

Interview with Marleen Werkhoven

Marleen Werkhoven

Marleen Werkhoven, HR Business Partner at Highberg, gives us a glimpse into her daily work and the unique dynamics of working within a growing organization. From strategic projects to conversations with colleagues: her role is both multifaceted and impactful. Curious about what makes her work so interesting and what a day in the life of an HR Business Partner looks like? Keep reading.

Netherlands

Day in the Life of an HR Business Partner at Highberg: Marleen Werkhoven

Data Management & Data Governance

Government and Public Sector

Balancing Accountability and Transparency

Case study Government Policy Organization

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A policy organisation within the Dutch central government faced the challenge of collecting, processing, and making large volumes of digital communication—such as chat messages, documents, and emails—available in a structured and careful manner. The urgency stemmed from increasing pressure due to accountability legislation, such as the Open Government Act (Woo) and the Archives Act.

Bjorn Cordia

Case study Government Policy Organization: Balancing Accountability and Transparency

Strategy & Change

In executing their strategy to improve timetables

Highberg supports NS

Highberg partners with NS to align culture and collaboration for effective Strategy Execution

The NS chain “Specific Days” was facing a decline in timetable quality combined with increased workload for its employees. This was primarily caused by shifts in passenger behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic, staff shortages, and a growing number of last-minute changes in rail maintenance. Due to these developments—alongside high work pressure and the ad hoc nature of the chain—NS struggled to internally shape and sustainably implement the necessary changes.
As a result, Highberg was brought in to analyze bottlenecks within the chain, design a future vision, and implement it iteratively. This led to annual savings of €300,000, measurable cultural shifts, and improved employee satisfaction.
The project lasted ten months and consisted of analysis, design, and implementation phases, all carried out using an agile approach.

Casper Groenink

Highberg supports NS in executing their strategy to improve timetables

Business Agility

IT Projects in the public sector: Lessons from practice

Don't forget the organization:

Don't forget the organization: IT projects in the public sector – Lessons from practice

Government IT projects often fail not because of technology, but due to structural flaws in planning, organization, and execution. Issues such as deliberate deception, excessive optimism, and rigid governance lead to delays and cost overruns. The solution lies in Adaptive Flow: a flexible, iterative approach that sets realistic goals, monitors progress, and addresses organizational bottlenecks. Without attention to the organization, digital innovation remains ineffective.

Bas Wolting

IT projects in the public sector: Lessons from practice

Responsible AI

Why the Public Sector can't do without Explainable and Responsible AI

Public Sector: Explainable and Responsible AI

The public sector stands at a turning point with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. As AI systems increasingly shape how public services are delivered, the question is not whether we use AI, but how we do so responsibly. This article outlines the importance of building an ethical infrastructure around AI, with a central role for explainable AI. By focusing on transparency, accountability, and monitoring, public organizations can ensure that AI serves democratic values and reinforces trust between government and society.

Thomas Mollema

Digital

Mastering Solution-Level Application Integrity Across Multiple ARTs

Agile Orchestra sounds like a Garageband?

When Your Agile Orchestra Sounds More Like a Garage Band

The article compares coordinating multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to a jam session - great when in sync, chaotic when not. It outlines seven common pitfalls in large-scale Agile development, like inconsistent coding, broken dependencies, and unclear testing. The solution: align teams with shared standards, strong automation, centralized configuration, and clear communication. The goal is to maintain creativity without compromising application integrity.

Davar Azarmi

When Your Agile Orchestra Sounds More Like a Garage Band!

Digital Strategy & Execution

Unlocking Real Impact in Government Digital Strategies

Coherence Is Key:

Digital Transformation in the Public Sector: From Fragmentation to Coherence

Digital transformation in the public sector is no longer a choice, it’s a necessity. Yet many organizations struggle to turn ambition into action. Legacy systems, fragmented responsibilities, and shifting regulations often stand in the way of meaningful progress. True transformation requires more than new technology: it demands coherence—between policy and execution, between IT and strategy, between innovation and real-world impact. At Highberg, we help public organizations build that coherence, with a focus on value, agility, and long-term societal benefit.

Wilbert Enserink

Anne van Esch

Martin Ruiter

Coherence Is Key: Unlocking Real Impact in Government Digital Strategies

Strategy & Portfolio Management

How complexity demands different Risk- and Project Management

IT Projects Break all the Rules

In my 30 years working in consulting, helping large organizations to navigate the challenges of large-scale software development, I’ve learned a hard truth: Managing IT projects with traditional project management and risk frameworks does not work. No matter how much rigor you apply, no matter how many “good practices” you adopt, IT projects stubbornly defy predictability.

Ralph Hofman

Niels Groen

IT Projects Break all the Rules: How complexity demands different Risk- and Project Management

Part 13: No hidden interfaces

Design principles for the computer scientist:

Design principles for the computer scientist (Part 13)

A principle for the information scientist is "decoupling points for complexity reduction and flexibility". But a decoupling point is also a coupling in the system as a whole! All interfaces must remain visible, if you come across one you must recognize it. This applies to the same extent for the organizational scientist; organizations also have interfaces and dependencies and these must be visible.

Rutger Gooszen

Design principles for the computer scientist: No hidden interfaces

Strategy Development & Execution

Energy and Utilities

Unlocking the Execution Challenge of the Energy Transition

From Planning to Progress:

Energy in Transition: The Culture, The Challenges and The Opportunities

The Dutch energy sector is facing its greatest transformation since WWII, as electricity demand rapidly outpaces the grid’s capacity. Grid operators must expand, reinforce, and digitalize their networks faster and smarter, while fundamentally rethinking how the energy system is planned and governed. This challenge goes beyond infrastructure, it requires a shift in mindset, strategy, and societal responsibility. As public institutions, grid operators play a vital role in ensuring the transition is not only effective, but also fair, inclusive, and widely supported. At Highberg, we are proud to support them in shaping a resilient and equitable energy future. The transformation these companies are undergoing offers valuable insights into the broader shifts shaping the sector. From our experience, real progress depends on five key transformation themes: Operational execution, external collaboration, competency development, strategy execution and performance driven culture.

Sjoerd Hogenbirk

Ralph den Bosch

Bob Verstraten

From Planning to Progress: Unlocking the Execution Challenge of the Energy Transition

Sustainability

Technology and Telecommunications

Royal FloraHolland takes control of its data to make smarter decisions

Case study Royal FloraHolland

Royal FloraHolland, the world’s largest flower auction cooperative, needed a more effective way to track the performance of its software teams. These teams work within an Agile framework, where multiple teams collaborate and release software updates in synchronized cycles, known as Agile Release Trains (ARTs). While this approach allows for faster delivery, it also creates complexity in tracking team performance across various areas. Performance data was scattered across various systems, making it difficult for management to get a clear, unified view of how the teams were performing. As a result, leadership struggled to effectively track progress, identify potential bottlenecks, and optimize team performance to support the business’s fast-paced needs.

Case study: Royal FloraHolland takes control of its data to make smarter decisions

Employee Experience

What it is and how to use it effectively

Employee Net Promotor Score (eNPS) explained:

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Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a concept that has been used since the 1990s. eNPS provides insight into the extent to which employees recommend an organisation. eNPS is popular because it is easy to measure, calculate and benchmark.

Employee Net Promotor Score (eNPS) explained: What it is and how to use it effectively

Agility and Stability Go Hand in Hand

Agile Portfolio Management:

Agile Portfolio Management in the Public Domain: Agility and Stability Go Hand in Hand

In 2025, the Dutch government faces an ever-increasing challenge: maintaining stability and course between technological innovations, social expectations and the implementation of laws and regulations. Citizens and society demand reliable services and consistent policy, while speed and agility have become indispensable to respond effectively to technological innovations and social expectations. However, many government organizations are still bound to traditional structures that hinder agility and innovation. This contradiction makes it difficult to act decisively and with a focus on the future.

Agile Portfolio Management in the (Dutch) Public Domain

Retail and Consumer Goods

'Our salespeople have become coaches'

New Reward Structure at Bruynzeel Kitchens

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As a customer, negotiating discounts on your new kitchen is no longer an option at <a href="https://www.bruynzeelkeukens.nl/">Bruynzeel Keukens</a>. Parent company <a href="https://www.dkggroep.nl/">DKG </a>has radically changed its strategy and since last year has been working with fixed prices. This involves a different way of selling as well as a different remuneration structure. An interview with Caesar Kuipers.

Negotiating the price of your kitchen is still a daily occurrence at many kitchen stores. In the 35 Bruynzeel Keukens stores, too, it was possible for many years to get a substantial discount. With a corresponding reward system for the salesperson. Research among customers showed that they did not like this bargaining at all. They didn't want to get the idea that the neighbor might be cheaper.

Organisatie

New Job and Salary Structure for CaseWare Nederland

CaseWare Nederland

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After a growth spurt, software company <a href="https://www.caseware.com/">CaseWare </a>Netherlands decided to start working agile with the entire organization. That called for a new job and salary house. It took some getting used to for the employees of CaseWare, which develops and implements accounting software. Last year they all started working agile, after the software developers took the lead with the scrum methodology.

Performance Improvement

New Performance Management System at TNO

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The traditional performance review system was time-consuming for TNO’s managers but didn’t always yield valuable results. It was time for a radically new performance management approach, thought HR Innovation Manager Dagmar Beudeker and Senior Labor Law Specialist Eveline Glaser. The result: Empower.

Interview Thijs van Loon and Lianne Hamstra

Innovative Career Model for VodafoneZiggo

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VodafoneZiggo is adopting a dynamic career model that encourages employee growth. Thijs van Loon (VodafoneZiggo) and Lianne Hamstra (Highberg) discuss this groundbreaking approach. “A career model like this has never been implemented on such a large scale.”

Lianne Hamstra

New Job Framework for Topgeschenken.nl

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Online gift shop <a href="https://topgeschenken.nl/">Topgeschenken.n</a>l has grown rapidly in recent years. High time to introduce a job and salary framework. HR Manager Natalia van Schie talks about the collaboration with Highberg.

New Job Framework and Reward Policy for Groendus

New Job Framework and Reward Policy Groendus

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It began a year and a half ago with six separate companies merging into Groendus. Since then, the number of employees has nearly doubled to 130, and both a job framework and a unified reward structure are now in place. HR Director Rosa Rodenhuis shares how this was implemented within one year.

New Collective Labour Agreement and Reward Policy at IKEA

Labour Agreement and Reward Policy at IKEA

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IKEA made headlines with a generous new collective labour agreement (CLA). Equally notable is the company’s newly developed reward policy. Everything is done in co-creation with the trade unions, say Jessica Samrén and Kim van der Hoeven of IKEA.

Pensioen

"Stop the Race Toward More Risk in Defined Contribution Pension Plans"

Curb the Risk in Pension Plans

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Econometric models and the uniform calculation method contain incentives that lead to increasingly higher risk in the lifecycles of defined contribution pension schemes, warns Guyot van Meer.

Inspiration session Oct. 5, 2023 with Jan Anne Schelling, former CHRO of Royal IHC

Inspiration session with CHRO of Royal IHC

Beautiful boats pier with cloudy sky

Jan Anne Schelling was CHRO at Royal IHC, a shipyard that went through several downturns in a few years, downsized by over 40% of its employees, was saved from bankruptcy and is still under pressure. How did Jan Anne manage this downturn, what did it mean for attracting and retaining crucial employees, and how does compensation and leadership play a role in it. Personal experiences that can be valuable for the possible coming economic downturn in the Netherlands.

(High Tech) Manufacturing and Logistics

New Pension Plans for Den Hartogh Logistics

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When three pension contracts came to an end at logistics service provider Den Hartogh Logistics, HR director Annelies Balistreri says it presented opportunities for new, future-proof arrangements. Those came about, in close cooperation with the Works Council.

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Equal pay for men and women at VvAA

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Equal pay for men and women is an important issue for VvAA, the cross-professional collective of healthcare professionals and healthcare companies. At the request of HR manager Paul Jacobs, Highberg released a sharp analysis. 'If you lump everything together you really do see a difference.'

Compensation Study for HISWA-RECRON

In preparation for collective labor agreement (CLA) negotiations in the holiday recreation sector, Martin Merks of HISWA-RECRON wanted insight into the compensation policies of a group of members. Highberg conducted the study. "They’re offering more than we had expected."

New organizational structure and remuneration policy for Roompot & Landal GreenParks

Roompot & Landal GreenParks

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After the merger of Roompot and Landal GreenParks, both organizations merged in a short time, with a new remuneration policy in the Netherlands. ‘We want to be the best employer in the sector’, says CHRO Alrik Boonstra.

How do you like decoupling assessment and reward?

Roundtable:

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Forerunners are already doing it: decoupling rewards from appraisals. But that still poses some challenges in practice. HR managers discussed this during a roundtable discussion organized by Highberg.

Webinars salary increases 2025

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Wondering how your salary increase budgets compare to those of other companies? In our periodic survey, we asked organizations what the budgets for the non-union population look like for 2025. In the Nov. 5 and Nov. 13 webinars, we discussed the results. We placed the increases in the context of recent years, inflation, collective bargaining increases, key figures from CBS and the minimum wage, among others. Below we share the report.

Harmonizing Employment Conditions at Coop and PLUS

Inspiration Session – November 27, 2024

Inspsesse

Following the merger between Coop and PLUS, the two headquarters were consolidated into a single office in Utrecht. Employees at this new Utrecht-based head office were working under three different employment terms packages. It became an urgent priority to develop one unified employment conditions package for all three groups, as well as for future employees. Additionally, all staff needed to be integrated into a single HR information system. One of the key principles was that the new package should be motivating and ensure no employee would experience a loss. The new legislation on future pensions (Wet Toekomst Pensioenen) was also taken into account.
Below is a summary of the inspiration session.

Inspiration Session – November 27, 2024: Harmonizing Employment Conditions at Coop and PLUS

Vekoma Transitions to a New Pension Scheme

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Roller coaster manufacturer Vekoma successfully transitioned from pension fund PME to BeFrank in just six months. How did they manage such a rapid change? By involving all employees from the very beginning, says Director of Change Yvonne Paulussen during the first Highberg Inspiration Session of 2023. "Although I would recommend giving everyone more time in a process like this. We worked ourselves to the bone last year."

Inspiration Session – January 19, 2023: New Pension System – Take Action!

New Pension System – Take Action!

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With the new pension legislation on the horizon, companies must make several important decisions. During our January inspiration session, consultant Miriam Morshuis outlined the key action points.

Miriam Morshuis

Start the Pension Transition in a Timely Manner

Pension Transition in a Timely Manner

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The pension transition—resulting from the new pension legislation effective as of July 1, 2023—has major implications for the pension agreements with employees. This requires significant adjustments.

Senior Consultant Daniëlle van Hal

My first months at Highberg (Digital):

Daniëlle van Hal

<a href="https://highberg.com/people/daniëlle-van-hal">Daniëlle van Hal</a> is Senior Consultant Data at Highberg Digital. She has a background in Political Science and Public Administration. We spoke to her about her first months at Highberg.

Working at Highberg: Senior Consultant Daniëlle van Hal about her first months at Highberg (Digital)

Data & AI

Whitepaper: Responsible-by-Design in the Public Sector

Responsible-by-Design in the Public Sector

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In recent years, the use of data and AI in the public sector has grown significantly. These technologies offer opportunities to carry out tasks more efficiently and effectively, but they also come with risks. How can you ensure that data and AI are used in a responsible and transparent way? And how do you prevent decisions from being based on unreliable or hard-to-explain insights?
In this whitepaper, we explore how responsible use of data and AI can be translated into practice. We introduce the principle of “responsible-by-design”—an approach that systematically maps both the opportunities and the risks. In addition, we offer a set of building blocks: best practices that demonstrate how organizations can take concrete steps toward the careful and ethical use of data and AI.

Dorus-Jan ten Boom

Optimizing HR Data Management for CSRD Compliance

HR Data Management for CSRD Compliance

The introduction of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) significantly raises reporting standards across all business functions, including Human Resources (HR). Organizations now face increased regulatory demands, particularly concerning the "Own Workforce" (S1) reporting requirements. At Highberg, we recognize these new challenges as opportunities to innovate and enhance HR data management practices, transforming compliance obligations into strategic advantages.

From uncertainty to confidence

Success on CSRD S1-compliance:

Success on CSRD S1-compliance: From uncertainty to confidence

With a legislative landscape as dynamic and complex as CSRD, reporting on workforce data is very challenging. To tackle this problem, an international insurance leader reached out to Highberg to guide and help them through this new challenge ahead. Fast forward, the first reporting period has been completed as a success, with a trusted, smooth and accurate report on CSRD S1 as the result.
When approaching Highberg for help regarding CSRD S1 reporting, the goal for the client was to get a helping hand on the operational part of reporting, ultimately resulting in a trusted process of retrieving, manipulating and promoting the required data. After assessing the situation, it quickly became clear that the client faced several hurdles that made the reporting challenging.

Nele Wensauer

People Analytics as a service

In today's fast-paced business world, organizations are constantly looking for ways to gain a competitive advantage. One area that has received a lot of attention is People Analytics. By harnessing the power of data and analytics, organizations can make more informed decisions about their workforce, leading to improved performance, productivity and employee experience. However, when it comes to implementing People Analytics, organizations are faced with a crucial decision: should they develop People Analytics capabilities internally (build), purchase People Analytics as a managed service or settle for a hybrid model?

Data-driven insights for fairness and employee satisfaction

Equal Pay and Gender Pay Gap Analysis

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Equal pay for equal work, pay equity, wage equality, pay gap, pay fairness, wage parity - these terms all refer to the same fundamental issue.
At its core, the goal is to ensure that people performing the same work are paid equally, regardless of their background or other characteristics, and that companies can demonstrate this equality.
In the Netherlands, the term "characteristic" typically refers to gender (male/female). However, in other countries, this type of analysis is also applied to other diversity factors, such as ethnicity or nationality.
As the Netherlands follows pioneers like the US and the UK in this field, it is expected that the focus on pay equality will expand over time to include other diversity dimensions.

Reinventing organizations

Six public sector transformation trends

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Welcome to Highberg

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