Organisatie

Government and Private Sector

Why culture can't be an afterthought

The sense of belonging in M&A

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Mergers and acquisitions often focus heavily on financial and operational integration, yet overlook one of the most critical factors for long-term success: cultural integration. A strong sense of belonging is a fundamental human need that drives engagement, performance, and retention. When disrupted during M&amp;A, it can lead to friction, disengagement, and costly turnover. This whitepaper explores the psychology behind belonging, its role in the workplace, and practical strategies for fostering a unified culture during mergers—drawing on Highberg’s firsthand experience and real-world case studies.

Merel Wensink

Sophie Loquet

Netherlands

The sense of belonging in M&A: Why culture can't be an afterthought

Organizational

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

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.

Technology and Telecommunications

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.

Guyot van Meer

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

Inspiration session with CHRO of Royal IHC

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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.

Job Framework for Rose Grower Afriflora/Sher

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Setting up a job framework for 13,000 employees in Ethiopia was a challenging task for HR project manager Monique Hoenderdos of rose grower <a href="https://afriflora.nl/en/">Afriflora</a>. "After two steps forward, you often have to take one step back to keep everyone on board."

Organisatie, Beloning & Pensioen

BexerHamstra Among the Top Consulting Firms in the Netherlands

The Best Consulting Firms in the Netherlands

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Recently, Consultancy.nl published their ranking of the best consulting firms in the Netherlands.

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.'

BexerHamstra, part of Highberg, and Bureau Baarda merge

BexerHamstra and Bureau Baarda merge

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BexerHamstra, part of Highberg, is strengthening its position in organizational transformation and remuneration policy by merging with Bureau Baarda. Bureau Baarda is a consultancy specializing in issues of job evaluation and remuneration.

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.

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Organization, Reward & Pension

In order to operate strategically and future-oriented, organizations need clear remuneration structures, a well thought-out organizational structure and sustainable pension plans.
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